Senators Bugti, Ahmedzai submit resignations

Senators Sarfraz Bugti and Prince Umar Ahmedzai resigned from the Senate after winning the Balochistan Assembly constituencies in the general elections held on Feb 8. Former caretaker Federal Interior Minister Bugti submitted his resignation to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, which he accepted. Similarly, Balochistan Awami Party Senator Prince Umar Ahmedzai also resigned from the Senate after winning the provincial assembly seat. Prince Ahmedzai submitted his resignation to the Senate chairman and he also accepted it. Read also: Bugti ‘steps down’ as interim interior minister Bugti and Ahmadzai will take oath in the Balochistan Assembly as members. Bugti had secured 52,485 votes from PB-10 constituency and defeated Ghohram Bugti of Jamhoori Watan Party, who had secured 25,773 votes. While Ahmadzai defeated Sardar Ahmad Khan Shahwani of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan by getting 4,638 votes in PB-46 constituency.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/NFlTmQf

Mengal decries denial of reserved seats

Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the president of the Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal), on Tuesday decried the political developments in the wake of general elections, especially the denial of reserved seats in the National Assembly, saying someone else was reaping the fruits of someone else's hard work. The BNP chief reflected on the ongoing political scenario, remarking that this election marked not his first but the 12th. "New things come up in every election.” He pointed out that those who were currently in the government had previously been allies, and those in the opposition had also shared friendly relationships. Expressing disillusionment with the prospect of finding a solution to Balochistan's problems, Mengal commented: "I have no hope from anyone who can cure the problems and difficulties of Balochistan." Read also: PML-N, PPP win most of reserved seats in Balochistan He said if there was a third place in the National Assembly, he would have occupied it. Mengal asserted his stance on the significance of reserved seats, labelling the denial of a reserved seat as abuse. The BNP chief asserted that elected individuals had the rightful claim to reserved seats, and their participation in the inaugural session of the National Assembly should be acknowledged. Highlighting a growing concern, Mengal stated: "The right to vote is being taken away from them." He raised the possibility that one of the reserved seat holders might contend for the positions of speaker, deputy speaker, or even prime minister, emphasising that depriving them of this right would be unjust.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/v0JXYsp

Reserved seats: ECP combines SIC petitions, defers hearing till Wednesday

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) combined all petitions related to minority and women reserved seats of Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) on Tuesday and postponed the hearing until Wednesday. A four-member panel, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and comprising members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana, and Justice (retd) Ikramullah Khan, heard the petition. Barrister Farogh Naseem represented Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Barrister Ali Zafar represented the SIC, stating they were there to secure their allocated seat. Azam Nazir Tarar from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Farooq H. Naik from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) represented their respective political parties. They emphasised that it is up to the commission to determine whether the SIC can secure reserved seat or not. Barrister Zafar emphasised that his party’s reserved seats cannot be claimed by anyone else, highlighting that the SIC has already submitted a petition to the ECP for the allocation of reserved seats. Read also: ECP to hear SIC reserved seats case today Barrister Gohar urged the bench to allocate reserved seats to the SIC. The CEC mentioned that the ECP has scheduled the applications for a hearing, and asked Zafar, if he is a party to all of these cases. Tarar countered by asking how independent members affiliated with the SIC, which failed to win even a single seat, could be granted reserved seats. He argued that these members, originating from a party rejected by the electorate, did not initially apply for reserved seats. Furthermore, given that the SIC is not recognised as a parliamentary party, questioning their entitlement to reserved seats. The CEC advised them to leave the matter of reserved seats to the Election Commission of Pakistan for decision. Barrister Zafar stated that they have not yet received copies of the applications and requested the commission to provide them the same. He assured that they would submit their response today. Naik urged the commission to convene and hear from all parties involved. Read: The reserved seats’ dilemma Barrister Gohar said that their opponents did not win a seat in Lahore and are asking for SIC’s seats. Tarar, responding to Barrister Gohar, suggested that they should reserve these comments for private discussion and the media outside the commission premises. Talking to the media later, Barrister Gohar said that the meeting of the National Assembly will be illegal until a decision is taken on reserved seats. The PTI chairman asserted that no assembly session can be held until the reserved seats are decided. He hoped that the decision of the ECP will be based on justice. Barrister Gohar stated that 86 MNAs-elect have joined the SIC, and the council has forwarded four applications to the ECP. He expressed hope that a decision to allocate minority and women reserved seats will be reached by Wednesday. Barrister Gohar disclosed that 90 MPAs elected in K-P and seven elected MPAs in Balochistan have joined the SIC, while 107 elected MPAs in Punjab have also pledged their support to the council.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/crUpHn6

NAB issues offer letters to 13 assistant directors

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) disposed of a hiring case on Monday after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) informed the court that it had already issued offer letters to the aggrieved individuals. A petitioner had approached the capital’s high court after NAB declined to hire him and 12 other successful candidates as grade-17 assistant directors despite completing all formalities. NAB had also submitted a summary to the country's president, requesting the annulment of the new appointments. However, the president later declined to endorse the summary. During the hearing of the case presided over by Justice Babar Sattar of the IHC, NAB's Additional Prosecutor General Jehanzeb Bharwana submitted a response to the court. Read also: NAB refuses offer letters to FPSC candidates He stated that the court order had been implemented, and NAB had issued offer letters for the position of assistant directors. He further mentioned that a total of 13 offer letters had been issued, along with office memorandums. Muhammad Faheem, one of the successful candidates for the assistant director position, appeared before the court, and the court inquired about his satisfaction. The petitioner's counsel told the court that the offer letter did not mention the joining date. The NAB prosecutor said that the candidates were required to submit their documents by March 11, following which the joining process would commence. Subsequently, the court disposed of the case upon the issuance of offer letters.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/AuUjDeG

Opposition determined to not give SIC walkover in K-P Assembly

Ahead of the upcoming elections for key positions in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, opposition parties have announced their intent to field candidates for the roles of chief minister, speaker, and deputy speaker. The decision was reached in a meeting, during which the opposition parties vowed to reveal their nominees before the maiden assembly session scheduled to be held on February 28 (Wednesday) for the oath-taking of the newly elected members. With a combined strength of 25 members in the provincial legislature, the opposition parties are gearing up to contest against the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), which boasts more than 80 members. Despite the numerical advantage of the SIC, the opposition is determined to compete for the positions of chief minister, speaker, and deputy speaker. The attempts to clinch the coveted slots come as the scenario in the provincial assembly shifted drastically when out of the total 115 general seats, a substantial 91 were clinched by independent candidates, with a predominant affiliation to PTI. Read also: K-P Assembly may meet on Feb 27 Notably, 87 of these independent winners, previously aligned with PTI, have joined the SIC, a party that failed to secure any general seat in the provincial legislature. Should the ECP rule in favour of the PTI, nearly all the reserved seats are poised to be allocated to the SIC. Nevertheless, observers reckon that if the ECP determines that these seats are ineligible for distribution among independents who are mandated to join only parties with legislative representation, a substantial constitutional crisis could emerge. Meanwhile, sources within the opposition reveal that the strategic move aims to thwart any attempts by SIC candidates to secure unopposed victories. Before the assembly session, the opposition plans to hold a meeting to finalise the nomination of their leader and discuss potential candidates for the three crucial positions. The goal is to present a consensus candidate who can represent the collective stance of the opposition. Insiders said the opposition is committed to not conceding ground to the SIC. However, in the event of any communication or negotiation with the SIC, decisions will be made based on the prevailing circumstances through a consultative.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/gbdvW5p

X platform disrupted in Pakistan for full week

Nationwide disruption to social media platform X passed the one-week mark in Pakistan on Saturday, with digital rights monitors warning outages were quashing dissent after an election marred by rigging claims. The platform, formerly known as Twitter, was downed last Saturday after a senior government official made a public admission of vote manipulation in the February 8 poll. Over the past week, it has been operational only intermittently, with access varying depending on the internet service provider. "Pakistan's directed use of network shutdowns and restrictions to overtly target political parties and the reporting of election irregularities is unprecedented," Alp Toker of the NetBlocks web watchdog told AFP. AFP staff reported that X remained disrupted in the capital Islamabad as well as the megacities of Lahore and Karachi on Saturday. Read also: Freedom Network demands restoration of X, slams caretaker govt Pakistan's telecommunication authority declined to comment while the interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called for nationwide protests after the admission of vote-rigging last week. "Protesting political parties have actively been using X for freedom of expression, access to information, to assemble online and for other associated rights," said web monitor Bytes for All. The disruption "restricts citizens' ability to engage in online discourse, share information, and express dissenting opinions", the organisation wrote in a report published Friday. In the months leading to the polling day, PTI suffered a crackdown restricting canvassing and forcing candidates to run as independents. Read: X becomes govt's first target Its campaign moved mostly online where social media events were censored by numerous nationwide blackouts of X as well as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube. Outages were blamed on "technical difficulties" by the government. Despite the restrictions, PTI-backed candidates gained more seats than any other party. But it has been unwilling to ally with rivals, paving the way for the military-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to form a government. Mobile internet services were cut across the country on the election day, with the interior ministry citing security reasons. The blackout, coupled with a long delay in issuing voting results, gave rise to allegations of rigging.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/FG149Tg

PML-N, PPP win most of reserved seats in Balochistan

In the aftermath of the closely contested general elections in Balochistan, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday distributed the reserved seats in the provincial assembly among six political parties. There are 11 reserved seats for women in the 65-strong provincial legislature. The highest number of seats, three each, were allocated to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). They were followed by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), two, and one each by the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), the National Party (NP), and the Awami National Party (ANP). The three reserved seats for minorities were distributed equally among the PPP, the PML-N, and the JUI. According to the ECP notification, the three women to take seats in the Balochistan Assembly are Ghazala Gola, Meena Majeed, and Shehnaz Umrani. The PML-N members are Rahila Durrani, Kiran Haider, and Hadiya Nawaz. JUI’s Shahida Rauf and Sadia are the winners. The BAP nominee to reach the assembly is Farah Azim Shah, while Ume Kulsum will represent the NP and Salma Bibi will serve as the voice of the ANP, the ECP notification showed. The allocation of the reserved seats completes the provincial legislature, with both the PPP and the PML-N emerging as the two largest parliamentary groups. Now, the Balochistan Assembly is set to embark on its legislative journey, hoping to address the myriad of issues facing the province.  

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/yCwlmUx