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Tag: Pakistan Elections

  • Pakistan Election Crisis Deepens As Top Official Confesses Rigging, Claims CEC, Chief Justice Involved |

    New Delhi: A shocking scandal has rocked the political landscape of Pakistan, as a former commissioner of Rawalpindi accused the chief election commissioner and the chief justice of being involved in rigging the recent elections. Liaquat Ali Chattha, who resigned from his post on Saturday, claimed that he was under immense pressure to manipulate the poll results in favor of the candidates who were losing. He said he was taking the responsibility for the wrongdoing and demanded that he and others who were part of the injustice should be punished.

    Chattha’s Explosive Allegations

    Chattha made his explosive allegations at a press conference at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where he said he could not sleep after stabbing the country in its back. He said he even contemplated suicide, but decided to expose the truth before the public. He appealed to the bureaucracy to not do anything wrong for the politicians, and said that the chief election commissioner and the chief justice were completely involved in the rigging.

    His remarks came amid nationwide protests by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, who alleged that their mandate was stolen in the February 8 elections.

    ECP, CM Reject Claims

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) strongly rejected Chattha’s claims, and said that no official of the commission ever issued any instructions to change the election results. It also said that the commissioner of any division had no direct role in the conduct of elections, and that the matter would be investigated.

    Punjab’s caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi also ordered an impartial probe into the allegations, and formed a high-level committee to conduct an inquiry. He said that an independent inquiry would be held and the facts would be brought forward.

    Chattha Arrested, Shifted

    Following Chattha’s press conference, police arrived at the venue and arrested him. He was shifted to an unknown location by the security officials. The reason for his arrest and his current whereabouts are not clear.

    PTI Demands Re-Election

    PTI senior leader and Khan’s close aide Zulfi Bokhari reacted to Chattha’s revelation on X, and said that it was shocking and unacceptable. He blamed the chief election commissioner and the chief justice for being part of the crime, and said that Chattha was pushed close to suicide by the unbearable pressure to rig the elections.

    He also said that the entire Pindi Division’s elections were rigged and null and void, and that the situation in other divisions could be worse. He demanded that the elections should be re-held and that the people’s will should be respected.

  • Pakistan parliament dissolved to set stage for nationwide election

    Pakistan’s parliament was dissolved by the president on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recommendation late Wednesday evening, the president’s workplace mentioned, setting the stage for a nationwide election amid political and financial crises.

    The recommendation got here three days forward of the parliament’s five-year time period, which expires on Aug. 12. It might be adopted with a caretaker administration to be picked by Sharif and an opposition chief within the outgoing parliament to carry new elections in 90 days.

    “I will tonight advise the president to dissolve the parliament,” the premier had earlier advised the parliament. He mentioned he would begin discussions with the opposition chief on Thursday to select from candidates really useful from each side to appoint as caretaker prime minister.

    The vote, nonetheless, could possibly be delayed a number of months with the election fee set to begin redrawing a whole lot of constituencies primarily based on a contemporary census.

    Analysts have mentioned any delay within the election might gas public anger and add to uncertainty within the nuclear-armed nation.

    The final common election in July 2018 was received by the get together of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who was sworn in days later as prime minister for the primary time.

    Khan has been on the coronary heart of political turmoil since he was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote final 12 months, elevating concern about Pakistan’s stability. He has since been convicted and jailed in a graft case, following which he has been barred from collaborating in any election for 5 years.

    Khan has accused the highly effective navy, which has dominated Pakistan since independence in 1947, of being chargeable for his ouster. The navy has denied the cost.

    Khan was changed by Sharif, who has been grappling with a debilitating financial disaster and traditionally excessive inflation ranges as the federal government applied painful reforms to safe funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    In addition to the authorized points that might crop up if the vote is delayed, the side-lining of Khan, the nation’s hottest chief based on polls, will solid doubt over the credibility of the elections.

    Published On:

    Aug 10, 2023

  • Leaked doc implies US involvement in Imran Khan’s ouster: Report

    The United States could have influenced the no-confidence movement towards former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022 as a consequence of his impartial stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in keeping with a leaked Pakistani authorities doc obtained by The Intercept.

    The categorized Pakistani doc describes what occurred in a gathering involving the Pakistani ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan, and two US State Department officers, together with Donald Lu, on March 7, 2022, as per the report by The Intercept.

    A day after the assembly, a no-confidence movement was fielded towards Imran Khan on March 8, 2022. Then, on April 10, Khan was ousted from energy.

    WHAT WAS IN THE LEAKED DOCUMENT?

    The US’ Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, criticised Pakistan’s impartial place on Ukraine, in keeping with the doc obtained by The Intercept.

    The doc confirmed that he had hinted at a no-confidence vote to rectify the scenario in the course of the assembly with the then Pakistani ambassador to the US.

    As per the doc, Lu mentioned, “People here and in Europe are quite concerned about why Pakistan is taking such an aggressively neutral position (on Ukraine), if such a position is even possible. It does not seem such a neutral stand to us.”

    He then went on to say that if the Prime Minister was changed, “all would be forgiven in Washington,” in keeping with The Intercept’s report.

    “I think if the no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington because the Russia visit is being looked at as a decision by the Prime Minister,” Lu said, reported The Intercept, quoting the leaked document.

    According to The Intercept, the document showed that the talk ended with the Pakistani ambassador saying he hoped the Russia-Ukraine war wouldn’t hurt Pakistan’s relationship with the US.

    “I would argue that it has already created a dent in the relationship from our perspective,” Lu said.

    “Let us wait for a few days to see whether the political situation changes, which would mean that we would not have a big disagreement about this issue and the dent would go away very quickly,” the US State Department official mentioned, as quoted by the doc obtained by The Intercept.

    In response to the accusations towards the US for its alleged position in Imran Khan’s ouster, Mathew Miller, the State Department spokesperson, mentioned that the allegations have been false.

    “We had expressed concern concerning the go to of then-PM Khan to Moscow on the day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and have communicated that opposition each publicly and privately,” he said, as quoted by The Intercept.

    IMRAN KHAN’S ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE US

    On March 27, 2022, Khan, who is in jail after being convicted in a corruption case, had alleged that “overseas forces”, which he later said was “Washington”, had orchestrated a plan to oust him from office and brandished the cypher or the classified diplomatic document at a public rally to back his claims.

    In July this year, Pakistan’s Federal Minister, Khawaja Asif, said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief used a “diplomatic cypher for political functions and he might be charged with treason for utilizing the Pakistan authorities’s categorized doc for vested pursuits”.

    Khan might be dealing with prices of treason within the Cypher case, he added.

    Published On:

    Aug 10, 2023

  • Pakistan taken over by fascists who’re terrified of elections: Imran Khan

    By Press Trust of India: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has mentioned that the nation has been taken over by “fascists”, and they’re “petrified” of the upcoming normal elections, in an obvious reference to the highly effective navy.

    The 70-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician, in an interview with the BBC, mentioned the institution had hoped that his removing from energy would weaken his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) get together.

    “Normally, it happens when you’re out of power for quite a while. But instead, what happened was the party’s popularity kept growing,” Khan, who was ousted from energy via a no-confidence vote in April 2022, mentioned.

    “They (the establishment) have tried everything. They have put 10,000 people in jail, including women and peaceful protesters. And worse, they have tortured people,” Khan mentioned, referring to his supporters arrested following the unprecedented violence on May 9 following his arrest in an alleged corruption case.

    He added that if his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf get together was not “finished” as his detractors claimed, the authorities would have introduced the date of the election.

    “Unfortunately, the country has been taken over by fascists, and they are petrified of elections. The reason why I’m suffering is because they know that [in the] elections, we would win hands down. And because of that, they’re dismantling a democracy,” he mentioned.

    ALSO READ | Imran Khan alleges police pressured driver to admit that he equipped him medicine

    The highly effective navy has straight dominated for about half of the historical past of Pakistan and remained in charge of the nation’s affairs through the different half. The normal elections are due later this 12 months because the time period of the National Assembly will expire on August 12.

    Khan claimed that his get together is “the only party that was not created by military dictators”. He alleges that for this reason there was a marketing campaign to dismantle his get together.

    In latest months, the get together has seen vital defections and arrests of key leaders. However, Khan insisted that his get together is unbroken.

    “How come, despite the establishment openly going against us, trying to dismantle us, how come after we are out of government, we won 30 out of 37 by-elections?” he mentioned.

    On May 9, violent protests erupted after the arrest of Khan by paramilitary Rangers in Islamabad. Over 20 navy installations and state buildings, together with the military headquarters in Rawalpindi, have been broken or torched within the violent protests that adopted Khan’s arrest.

    The violence elicited a robust response from the federal government and navy vowing to take motion towards the culprits, resulting in an ongoing crackdown towards these concerned. However, Khan denied his involvement within the arson.

    “What did you think the supporters would do when they saw the army, the commander, was picking me up from there? Was there not going to be a protest?” he mentioned. Khan insisted that it was the navy who incited the violence by sending troopers as a substitute of cops to arrest him.

    “The fact is that the country is on the brink of a major disaster. We are heading [into] what I feel like are the dark ages. “The solely resolution to Pakistan is free and honest elections. That’s the one approach we’ll get out of this mess,” he added.

    ALSO READ | Imran Khan mastermind of May 9 violence towards navy management: Pakistan PM

  • Pakistan President Alvi broadcasts Punjab and Ok-P elections on April 9, ruling alliance slams transfer

    The provincial assemblies in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had been dissolved on January 14 and January 18 respectively, earlier than the expiry of their mandated five-year phrases on the orders of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan.

    Pakistan President Arif Alvi (PTI/File)

    By Press Trust of India: Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Monday unilaterally introduced April 9 because the date for holding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, a transfer slammed by events of the ruling alliance which asserted that the polls can’t be held on the President’s directives.

    The provincial assemblies in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had been dissolved on January 14 and January 18 respectively, earlier than the expiry of their mandated five-year phrases on the orders of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan.

    According to the Constitution, elections need to be held inside 90 days after the dissolution of the meeting.

    Alvi, who’s a member of Khan’s celebration, stated he “felt it necessary to perform his constitutional and statutory duty to announce the date of elections to avoid the infringement and breach of the Constitution and law of holding of elections not later than ninety days”.

    The President Secretariat’s Press Wing stated Alvi made the announcement based mostly on a related part of Pakistan’s Constitution.

    ALSO READ | Pakistan President Alvi slammed for pressuring Election Commission to announce ballot dates

    President Alvi criticised Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman and KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali for “not performing their constitutional duties of appointing a date not later than ninety days from the date of dissolution” of the provincial assemblies.

    He additionally criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for “not fulfilling its constitutional obligation for holding polls” of the assemblies involved.

    As anticipated, the leaders of the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition authorities rejected the choice by President Alvi to carry the election of the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 9.

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif led the barrage of assaults when he stated within the parliament that President Alvi has no function in provincial elections.

    “The president is transgressing his authority by giving election dates for provincial assembly polls. What role does he have in provincial elections?” the minister asked.

    He added that the president was working as a worker of PTI instead of playing his role as the president.

    “It is our historical past and plenty of ‘Number 2’ individuals have been appointed to such ‘Number 1’ roles,” he said and warned that the parliament reserves the right to “transfer legally in response to the structure in opposition to such transgressions”.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Alvi was inviting trouble and he should better work as president as per the Constitution.

    “Do not make the workplace of the President a den for blackmailing others. The president has no function in giving dates for elections. He mustn’t drive the ECP to hold out his unlawful and unconstitutional orders,” he said.

    Senior leader of PDM and chief of his Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman accused the president of going against the Constitution.

    “The manner Arif Alvi, pondering of himself as a monarch and a PTI employee, has trampled upon and violated the Constitution, the best way he has interfered into affairs of the governor and ECP. This is clearly misconduct and the Election Commission ought to take strict motion in opposition to it,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

    Pakistan Peoples Party leader Raza Rabbani said Alvi was regularly violating the Constitution and asked him to “cease pontificating on constitutionalism” when he had violated it at least nine times.

    Federal Minister for Planning and Development and senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal said, “it’s the prerogative of the ECP” and never the President to announce a date for the elections.

    The dissolution of the 2 provincial assemblies is seen as a bid by Khan to push for early nationwide elections within the nation.

    The former prime minister has been demanding recent polls ever since he was ousted from the highest job via a no confidence movement in April 2022.

    Published On:

    Feb 20, 2023

  • Ex-PM Khan pushes for early Pakistan election by dissolving second provincial govt

    The 70-year-old Khan, a former captain of the Pakistan worldwide cricket workforce, has been demanding snap polls since his ouster in a confidence vote in parliament in April.

    Peshawar,UPDATED: Jan 18, 2023 15:27 IST

    Pakistan Ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan

    By Reuters:

    Seeking to pressure Pakistan to carry an early nationwide election, the opposition celebration led by former prime minister Imran Khan dissolved its provincial authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday, three days after doing the identical in Punjab province.

    Under the foundations, recent polls for the 2 provincial assemblies ought to be held inside 90 days, and Khan’s Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is playing on the nationwide authorities being unable to afford to carry the provincial elections individually from a nationwide election, which is in any other case due by October.

    Pakistan has 4 provinces, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within the northwest and Punjab within the east account for extra that half of the nation’s 220 million inhabitants.

    Also Read: Pakistan could lose main non-Nato ally standing after US lawmaker strikes invoice in House

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s governor Ghulam Ali stated he had accepted the resignation tendered by the PTI authorities a day earlier, telling reporters that he had “no other option”.

    The 70-year-old Khan, a former captain of the Pakistan worldwide cricket workforce, has been demanding snap polls since his ouster in a confidence vote in parliament in April.

    He has additionally led a nationwide protest marketing campaign towards his successor Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and was shot and wounded at a rally in October.

    Sharif, whose authorities is making an attempt to steer the economic system out of a extreme disaster that was worsened by the devastating floods within the nation final 12 months, has repeatedly rejected the requires early polls.

    Published On:

    Jan 18, 2023

  • Ex-Pak PM Imran visits dwelling of feminine journalist crushed by his car

    Imran Khan on Monday visited the house of deceased journalist Sadaf Naeem to supply his condolences to her household, a day after she was reportedly crushed to demise by the ousted Pakistan prime minister’s car.

    Naeem, a reporter overlaying the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) lengthy march for Channel 5, was crushed to demise throughout an accident close to Sadhoke on Sunday.

    According to Channel 5, the reporter was run over by PTI Chairman Khan’s container. The media outlet mentioned that Naeem fell from the container after which she was crushed by the car, the Dawn newspaper reported.

    However, a Dawn.com correspondent on the website reported that she slipped whereas attempting to climb the container.
    As a results of the incident, the PTI referred to as off Sunday’s actions in solidarity.

    “I say this with utmost regret that due to an accident we are postponing the march today. We pray for the patience and strength of the woman’s family to deal with the tragedy,” Khan mentioned in a quick tackle to supporters.

    He mentioned he had “no words to express my sorrow” on the horrible incident.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif additionally expressed remorse over the demise, saying that he was “deeply saddened” by the incident.

    Extending his condolences to her household, Shehbaz praised Naeem as a “dynamic and hardworking reporter” and introduced Rs 5 million in monetary assist for her household.

    Khan has been demanding early elections and he’s main the lengthy march in direction of Islamabad to power his calls for.

    The time period of the National Assembly will finish in August 2023 and recent elections must be held inside 60 days.

    Khan, who was ousted from energy in April after shedding a no-confidence vote in his management, has talked a few ‘threat letter’ from the US and claimed that it was a part of a international conspiracy to take away him as he was not acceptable for following an impartial international coverage. The US has bluntly rejected the allegations.

  • Pakistan court docket extends Imran Khan’s bail on terrorism costs

    A Pakistani court docket on Monday prolonged former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s pre-arrest bail for eight extra days on terrorism costs referring to a speech by which he allegedly threatened police and judicial officers, his lawyer stated.

    Khan, who appeared in court docket in particular person, was booked within the case by police in August. This is the fourth time he has secured pre-arrest bail within the matter.

    “Bail is extended till 20th September with the same sureties,” Khan’s lawyer, Babar Awan, advised Reuters.

    Khan has denied he threatened the officers, saying his phrases have been taken out of context.

    “This amounts to making a mockery of the anti-terrorism law; making a mockery of our country,” he advised journalists exterior the court docket on Monday after he secured his bail.

    The terrorism case is one in every of a spate of authorized woes for Khan, who was ousted as prime minister by a parliamentary vote in April.

    The court docket stated final week it might indict Khan in a contempt of court docket case in coming days in a matter that poses a menace to his future because it may see him disqualified from politics for no less than 5 years.

    Khan, who nonetheless enjoys widespread assist, has been holding political gatherings throughout the nation to stress the federal government into holding snap elections. Officially, normal elections usually are not due till November subsequent 12 months.

    The authorities says the polls will happen on time and has rejected Khan’s name for early elections.

    It is at one in every of these rallies that Khan thundered in opposition to police and judicial officers. He has additionally focused the highest brass of the nation’s navy, which issued a uncommon direct public rebuke of Khan for his statements earlier this month.

  • Hamza Sharif to be ‘trustee’ Punjab province CM until Monday, guidelines Pakistan’s Supreme Court

    Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Saturday allowed Hamza Shehbaz to stay because the “trustee” Punjab province Chief Minister until listening to resumes on Monday, however barred him from utilizing his powers for “political gains” throughout this era.

    Shehbaz, the son of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Saturday took oath because the Chief Minister of the Punjab province, a day after he was re-elected to the publish by simply three votes amidst excessive drama that sparked protests within the nation and prompted the rival candidate Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to maneuver the apex courtroom.

    A 3-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhter took up the case on Saturday.

    The courtroom after listening to arguments dominated that “Hamza will continue to work as a trustee chief minister till Monday,” including that he ought to work as per the Constitution and legislation through the time interval, and never use his powers for political good points.

    Hamza, 47, was declared the winner within the election although his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) get together didn’t have a majority within the Assembly after key by-elections held on July 17.

    He managed to retain the publish of Punjab Chief Minister by the barest of margins after Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari rejected 10 votes of Elahi’s get together Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), an ally of ousted prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), citing Article 63-A of the Constitution.

    During the listening to, Justice Bandial remarked that prima facie, the deputy speaker’s ruling was towards the apex courtroom’s verdict within the Article 63-A reference.

    In the 368-member Punjab Assembly, Hamza’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) acquired 179 votes, whereas Elahi’s get together garnered 176 votes.
    Ten votes of Elahi’s PML-Q weren’t counted on the pretext that they’d violated the orders of their get together chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

    The orders got here underneath sharp criticism from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with its vice-president Maryam Nawaz saying the get together would not “bow its head” in entrance of “one-sided” choices, alleging that the “house of justice came under the pressure of bullying and threats”.

    “It repeatedly makes specific decisions through the same bench, negates its own decisions, [and] puts all the weight in the same scale,” she tweeted, including that political chaos and instability would end result with this courtroom choice.

    Khan’s get together, PTI, is hoping the apex courtroom would instruct Deputy Speaker Mazari to incorporate the ten votes which he had rejected citing Article 63-A of the Constitution, which might pave the best way for Elahi’s appointment because the Punjab province Chief Minister.

  • Elections in Pak will solely be held after introduction of ballot reforms: Zardari

    The co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Asif Zardari, has made it clear that elections within the nation will solely be held after ballot reforms are launched and the National Accountability Laws are amended.

    Zardari, a senior political chief who performed a key function within the vote of no-confidence movement moved by the opposition events final month in opposition to former premier Imran Khan, stated elections can be held as soon as the incumbent coalition authorities completes each duties.

    “I’ve additionally talked to Nawaz Sharif (PML-N) on this and we agreed that we will go to polls as quickly because the reforms and targets are met.

    “We have to change laws and improve them and then go to elections. Whether it takes three or four months, we have to work on implementation of policies and improving the electoral process,” Zardari informed a press convention right here on Wednesday.

    He additionally stated the coalition authorities headed by Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shehbaz Sharif had no subject with voting rights and illustration of abroad Pakistanis in elections.

    Asked about Wednesday’s assertion by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif that one couldn’t rule out the opportunity of elections earlier than November, Zardari stated the PML-N chief had his personal views and was certain to hearken to his get together’s directives.

    He stated the PPP and the PML-N had determined that till electoral reforms had been introduced, there can be no discuss in regards to the new military chief’s appointment.
    Zardari additionally stated the military was “apolitical” for the primary time.