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Imran Khan ‘still PTI chairman’ as ECP issues details of political parties

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1 year ago

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  • Imran still listed PTI chief, despite Gohar assuming charge.
  • GDA is the only political alliance to contest elections.
  • Polls are scheduled to take place on February 8, 2024.

ISLAMABAD: The details of political parties enlisted with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) were issued five days after the issuance of the election schedule, The News reported on Thursday.

The ECP, in a briefing to the press, stated the enlistment of 175 political parties and one alliance concerning their participation in the upcoming general election, scheduled to take place on February 8, 2024.

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) will be the only political alliance to contest the general polls under the leadership of Pir Pagara Syed Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi. The ECP also notified a change in the name of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Islahat (PTI) to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarian (PTIP), which is headed by Pervez Khattak.

According to the ECP list, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf continues to be led by Imran Khan, despite Barrister Gohar Ali Khan being recently elected as its new head. The issue of PTI’s intra-party election conducted on December 2, 2023, remains undecided, as ECP reserved its judgment after hearings.

Shehbaz Sharif is the head of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), whereas Asif Ali Zardari leads the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the chairman of PPP.

Likewise, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui heads Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQMP), Abdul Aleem Khan is the president of newly-formed Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), whereas Asfandyar Wali Khan heads the Awami National Party (ANP), Sardar Akhtar Mengal is the president of Balochistan National Party (BNP), Maulana Fazlur Rahman is the ameer of Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUIF), Sirajul Haq is ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the National Party is headed by Dr Abdul Malik, veteran politician Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain is the president of Pakistan Muslim League (PMLQ), Mehmood Khan Achakzai is Chairman of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Majlis-e-Wahdat-Muslimeen (MWM)is headed by Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Sheikh Rashid Ahmad heads Awami Muslim League (AML) as per the ECP list.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson said the decision of a two-member bench of the electoral body regarding the delimitation of Hafizabad district was issued on November 26, 2023. And, after the direction of the Islamabad High Court, the second order of the five-member bench was issued on December 8, 2023. He explained that both the orders had been uploaded to the ECP website and that its purpose was to provide awareness and guidance to the public about it.

Separately, he said that some misconceptions were being spread in the media about delimitation. The rules of delimitation under the Elections Act, 2017 and rules are clear, the details of which are given below:

2. In the second phase, the quota extracted under Rules 8(2) is divided among the population of the district for the determination of seats of the districts, thereby determining the seats of that district. In this, if the remaining population is less than 0.5 after giving full seats to a district, then it is ignored. If the population is more than 0.50, then it is given one seat, for example, if according to the population of a district, its share of seats is 4.49, then it is given 4 seats. If its share of seats becomes 4.52, then that district takes 5 seats, provided there is no other district whose fraction is higher than that for example, 4.56.

It is necessary to specify that the first seat will be given to the district whose fraction is the highest i.e. 4.80, 4.75, 4.70, 4.66. If there is a seat in the province, then a district gets a seat at 4.50 and if the seats are eliminated keeping in mind the fraction and the lower fraction, even if it is 4.51 or more, it is ignored.

“The procedure for determination of seats is clear in Section 18 of the Elections Act, 2017, Section 8 of the Elections Rules. The Election Commission cannot make any changes in it and this work is done by the entire Commission (Chief Election Commissioner and four members of the Election Commission). However, due to the high number of objections to the initial delimitation, they are heard by the Election Commission or three-member benches,” he explained.

The electoral authority, he noted, also wants to clarify that Hafizabad district has a population of 1,319,909, while the quota of one seat of the National Assembly is 905,595, which is 1.46 because under Rules 8(2), the rest of the population is less than 0.5, so one seat is allocated. In this way, the population of Gujranwala is 4,966,338 and, according to the above quota, its share of seats is 5.48; its fraction is also less than 0.5, so it has also been given 5 seats.

The ECP also clarified that according to the law, the commission was not obliged to club any district with another district.

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Sheikh Rasheed says PTI and government negotiations won’t provide any results.

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Sheikh Rasheed voiced his worries about the nation’s ongoing political dilemma while speaking outside the Anti-Terrorism Court.

According to Sheikh Rasheed, a committee was established to negotiate, but the process has not produced any tangible results. In order to emphasize the seriousness of the situation, he said, “Political conditions are extremely bad.”

He made the joke, “Even after war, if negotiations fail, then it will all come down to judo karate,” in reference to the next steps.

“Everyone there prays for Pakistan’s betterment,” Sheikh Rasheed, who had returned from Saudi Arabia, said. He emphasized the necessity for the nation’s circumstances to improve and stabilize.

Assad Qaiser, a former speaker and PTI leader, had earlier called on Speaker Ayaz Sadiq of the National Assembly to discuss the official start of talks with the government.

The two leaders shared their opinions on bringing parties together on matters of national importance and reducing political tensions and conflict.

“I will persuade my people, you persuade the hardliners in your party,” Ayaz Sadiq said to Assad Qaiser.

The party’s founder is in jail, and the PTI leadership has asked to meet with him. “We will continue to confer with him,” Assad Qaiser declared.

Earlier, PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai stated that if the discussions don’t begin, a campaign of civil disobedience will begin on December 14.

Speaking to the media Regarding the meetings, Yousafzai claimed that the government ministers were making insincere remarks.

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Bushra Bibi maintains bail as the IHC concludes the FIA’s petition.

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2 weeks ago

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The Islamabad High Court (IHC) conducted a hearing about the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) plea for the revocation of Bushra Bibi’s bail.

The court, led by Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, rejected the FIA’s petition during the hearing.

Judicial Proceedings

Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb sought information regarding Bushra Bibi’s location, to which her attorney, Barrister Salman Safdar, affirmed her attendance in court.

The judge urged the counsel to regard the matters with gravity, underscoring the necessity of adherence to trial protocols.

The court sought details about instances where Bushra Bibi had been exempted from attending trial hearings and clarified that if the High Court grants bail and the accused fails to appear, the trial court holds the authority to cancel the bail.

Justice Aurangzeb assured that such actions would not amount to contempt of the High Court’s order.

Based on these considerations, the court closed the proceedings and dismissed the FIA’s plea.

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The Supreme Court has granted the appeal of the PTI founder for a judicial probe into the events of May 9.

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The Supreme Court has officially accepted the plea submitted by the PTI chairman for a judicial probe into the events of May 9 for a comprehensive hearing.

The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court annulled the registrar’s office’s objections to the petition and instructed the office to allocate a case number and arrange the hearing.

The PTI chairman was represented by prominent attorney Hamid Khan, who appeared in court to argue for the petition’s admission.

The Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) already convicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in connection with the incidents on May 9 and denied his bail on eight distinct counts.

The court’s finding was delivered in a six-page written order by ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul.

The written ruling emphasized substantial evidence against the PTI founder, comprising audio and visual recordings of his directives to incite violence.

The court observed that witnesses had provided testimony on the conspiracy planned by Imran Khan at Zaman Park, where he purportedly strategized for his possible arrest by intending to disrupt state functions via his supporters.

Imran Khan’s legal counsel contended that he was in custody at the time of the incidents, proposing that bail be granted in accordance with precedents where bail was awarded in like circumstances following detention.

Nevertheless, the court rejected this argument, underscoring that the case’s nature was not a trifling issue of conspiracy or incitement.

The prosecution established that Mr. Khan had explicitly incited assaults on military and governmental facilities and had galvanized both his commanders and supporters to adhere to his directives.

The decision additionally cited the Lahore High Court’s finding regarding a prior release granted to Ijaz Chaudhry, highlighting Imran Khan’s involvement in the conspiracy. The court dismissed the defense’s challenge over the prosecution’s lack of specificity concerning the date, time, or location of the purported conspiracy, affirming that the scheme was allegedly devised on May 7 and May 9 at Zaman Park.

The prosecution asserts that undercover police officers, masquerading as PTI supporters, intercepted discussions outlining the scheme.

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