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In meeting with Imran, Punjab CM assures to stand by PTI decision on assembly dissolution

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  • “We will support all of Imran Khan’s decisions,” says Elahi.
  • CM Punjab pledges loyalty to Khan.
  • Khattak says PML-Q and PTI are on same page.

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi has assured PTI Chairman Imran Khan of standing by his side as the opposition in the provincial assembly mulls ways to overthrow the PTI-PML-Q-led coalition government in the province.

Khan — who called off his long march to Islamabad last week — has announced quitting assemblies across the country, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

The party’s leadership, according to PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry, has approved the dissolution of assemblies in both provinces, but the final decision will be made after further consultations.

The opposition — PML-N and the allied parties — has said that it would not back down from a challenge, but stressed that snap polls were not in the country’s favour.

In his meeting with Khan at the PTI chief’s Lahore residence Thursday, Elahi once again pledged his loyalty and stressed that he “owed” the Punjab Assembly to the former prime minister.

Elahi said he would not “hesitate for a moment” when Khan orders him to dissolve the assembly as he will keep supporting all of the PTI chief’s decisions.

He added that the elements behind creating misconceptions in the camps of PTI and PML-Q would “fail again” as he slammed the opposition for claiming that they were in contact with the government’s lawmakers.

“Imran Khan is indispensable,” CM Elahi said and challenged the opposition to table a no-confidence motion against him. “They have failed before and will fail again.”

The PML-Q leader said the opposition is “daydreaming” if it thinks it can overthrow the Punjab government. He added that the opposition does not have the required numbers.

“If the Punjab Assembly is in session, then the governor’s rule cannot be imposed. It is my honest advice to the opposition: please read the rules of business.”

“Whatever Imran Khan says, I will act without hesitation. Punjab Assembly [is a small thing], I will give my life for Imran Khan,” the chief minister said.

In conversation with journalists after the meeting, PTI senior leader Pervez Khattak said that the meeting was good “overall” and that Khan would make the final call on all matters.

“Chaudhry and us, we are all one. Khan sahib is our leader. All the decisions that have been made will be unveiled later,” the former KP CM said.

Khattak said both the leaders have reached a consensus on all matters and that CM Punjab has agreed to follow Khan’s decisions. “He [Elahi] stands by his words.”

The PTI leader also said that he did not want “groupings or divisions” within the party as he noted that the established has committed to staying out of politics.

Punjab MPAs oppose assembly’s dissolution

Sources, earlier in the day, told Geo News that several Punjab lawmakers belonging to the PTI have advised the party’s chairman against dissolving the provincial assembly immediately.

The development came after the party’s high-level committee submitted a report in relation to the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly to Khan, sources said.

The lawmakers advised the PTI chief not to immediately dissolve the assembly, citing the ongoing development projects in their constituencies, the sources said.

The report regarding the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly was put before a meeting today, which was chaired by PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Party leaders Mian Aslam Iqbal, Mian Mehmood-Ur-Rasheed, Hammad Azhar, Ejaz Chaudhry, and others attended the meeting.

As per the report, according to sources, some lawmakers have advised against the immediate dissolution of the Punjab Assembly as they believe development tenders worth billions of rupees have been opened, and multiple projects are near completion in their constituencies.

The lawmakers have also recommended that the timing of the political move should be effective so that it pushes the federal government to call general polls, sources said.

Moreover, to hold further consultations, the PTI chief has summoned a session of the PTI’s Sindh and Balochistan parliamentary parties on Sunday.

The sources added that the decision regarding the dissolution or PTI quitting all assemblies would be made by the PTI chief after the session of their parliamentary parties on Sunday.

Khan has also tasked the party’s legal team to analyse the legal aspects of the matter and prepare for any predictable complications.

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SC to hear reference against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto death sentence next week

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  • Nine-member bench, headed by CJP, to hear reference.
  • Last hearing of reference was held on Nov 11, 2022.
  • SC to also hear IHC ex-judge Shaukat Siddiqui plea on removal.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court is set to take up the 12-year-old presidential reference on revisiting the controversial death sentence awarded to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto next week, The News reported Friday. 

A nine-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, will hear the presidential reference on reconsideration of Bhutto’s death sentence judgment on December 12.

The decision to fix the instant case was made under Section 2(1) of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, by a three-member committee comprising CJP Isa, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

According to Supreme Court Registrar Jazeela Aslam, the other members of the larger bench are Justice Masood, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminud Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Musarrat Hilali.

It is pertinent to mention that former president Asif Ali Zardari, on April 2, 2011, had approached the apex court through a presidential reference under Article 186 of the Constitution to seek its opinion on revisiting the trial of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The last hearing of the reference was held on November 11, 2022.

Earlier, an 11-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, had conducted five hearings in the presidential reference.

Babar Awan, the then federal law minister in the PPP regime, had earlier appeared as the federal government’s lawyer in the case and presented lengthy arguments. However, on January 17, 2012, Awan’s law practice license was suspended for criticising the court’s order in the Memogate case. Later, the case was adjourned due to a change of counsel who were appearing in the instant reference.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has also fixed the petition of sacked Islamabad High Court (IHC) Judge Shaukat Siddiqui challenging his removal for misconduct on December 14.

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ECP expected to announce election schedule on December 14

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  • ECP has published final list of delimitations.
  • CEC says ECP aware of its duties regarding polls. 
  • Calls on public to participate in elections.

ISLAMABAD: Amid heightened political temperature in the country, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is expected to announce the schedule for much-awaited general elections on December 14, The News reported Friday. 

Political parties are busy in electioneering and political wheeling and dealing to strengthen their position in the polls which are slated to take place on February 8 next year.

The electoral body recently published the final list of delimitations clearing a major hurdle to the announcement of the polls. It is in the final phase of appointment of district returning officers, returning officers and assistant officers as per the provisions of the Elections Act, 2017.

According to Sections 50 and 51 of the Elections Act, a district returning officer is appointed for each district or a specified area and a returning officer for each constituency for elections to an assembly. 

The provincial election commissioners as well as the Election Commission Secretariat have furnished lists of government officers for the election duty. Their appointment will follow the election-related training.

Separately, in a message on the occasion of National Voters Day, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said the printing and delivery of the final electoral rolls had been completed successfully. He said the ECP was fully cognisant of all its constitutional and legal responsibilities regarding elections and related matters. 

CEC Raja also referred to the Election Commission’s full preparedness and commitment and assured the voters of complete security, privacy and transparency throughout the election process. The chief election commissioner called on the public to participate in the polls to shape their bright future.

The Finance Division on Tuesday released Rs17.4 billion to the ECP for poll arrangements, putting to rest election delay rumours.

Last week, the ECP also notified the final list of delimitation of constituencies of the national and four provincial assemblies, paving the way for the announcement of the election schedule.

The CEC also reiterated that elections will take place at its scheduled time and maintained that the commission will ensure complete security during the polls.

He also urged the people to use their right to vote for the “bright future of the country and nation” and cooperate with the ECP to ensure peaceful elections.

Raja also reminded the people that they have “power of vote,” asking them to cast their ballot while keeping in view the future of their children.

National Voters Day is observed each year on December 7 to create awareness among the masses about the importance of vote registration and encourage the electorates to use the power of the ballot to elect their representatives.

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Zardari ropes in Balochistan electables as electioneering gears up

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  • Former minister Sikandar Imrani among others join PPP.
  • Zardari welcomes Balochistan leaders into party’s fold.
  • Development comes amid heightened political activities.

Several electables from Balochistan including former chief minister and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Abdul Qudous Bizenjo joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the run-up to the February 8 elections.

The development came in a meeting with PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in Lahore on Thursday, according to a statement issued on the party’s social media channel on Thursday.

During the meeting, former Balochistan minister Sikandar Imrani, Syed Nizamuddin, Syed Hameed, Naseer Ahmed Bizenjo and Mir Abdul Wahab Bizenjo also joined the PPP.

Zardari welcomed them into the party folds.

The development comes amid heightened political temperature in the country with political parties busy in electioneering and political wheeling and dealing to strengthen their position in the elections slated to take place on February 8, 2023.

Last month, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif succeeded in wooing at least two dozen prominent politicians from Balochistan into the party ranks.

The electables included Jam Kamal Khan, Mir Saleem Khosa, Noor Mohammad, Baba Buledi, Sardar Masood Luni, Rubaba Buledi, Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran, Shoaib Nosherwani, Ramin Jan Muhammad Hassni and Muhammad Khan Lehri joined the PML-N ranks.

PPP leaders Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail, Sardar Fateh Muhammad, and Faiq Jamali jumped ship to join the PML-N.

From the National Party, Mujib Mohammad Hassni and former senator Dr Ashok Kumar, while Zeenat Shahwani of BNP-M and PTI’s Muhammad Jamali and Sardar Atif Sanjrani also joined the PML-N.

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