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Elections

Rescheduled polls in PK-22 and NA-8 following the death of an independent candidate

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  • The candidate was shot and killed while campaigning.
  • ECP convenes a crucial meeting for tomorrow.
  • Elections postponed in PK-91 Kohat as well.

ISLAMABAD: Following the shooting death of an election candidate inside the boundaries of the National Assembly’s NA-8 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s PK-22 seats, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided to postpone the polls on Wednesday.

The security of the countrywide poll is at danger due to an increase in grenade and gun assaults, particularly in KP and Balochistan, where candidates and election rallies have been targeted. This has impacted electioneering efforts and prompted fears for the safety of over 128 million voters and competitors.

Rehan Zeb Khan, an independent candidate running from NA-8 and PK-22, was shot and killed earlier in the day in KP’s Bajaur district while visiting the Sadiqabad Phatak Bazar area.

Politicians have expressed worries about the state of security, and some have called for a postponement of the already-postponed elections. Major political parties strongly opposed the non-binding resolution that the Senate had passed to postpone the elections.

Additionally, a number of political parties’ election rallies, including those of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), PTI, National Party (NP), and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), have been attacked.

Due to the passing of Asmatullah Khattak, an election candidate, on Tuesday (yesterday), the polling process in PK-91 Kohat-II was also postponed. In this context, returning officer (RO) Irfan Ullah released a public notification.

Recalling that the state of law and order had deteriorated only one week before national elections, the electoral commission called a crucial meeting for this coming Wednesday.

To address the effects of a recent wave of violent occurrences in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan on the forthcoming general elections, which are set for February 8, the top electoral authority called a crucial meeting for tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Inspector generals (IGs), chief secretaries of the aforementioned provinces, the interior minister, the secretary of interior, and representatives of intelligence agencies will all be present at the upcoming session, according to an official release.

Elections

The PML-N won by a greater margin in by-elections than in general elections.

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Statistics indicate that the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and its allies’ candidates won by a wider margin in by-elections than in the general elections held in Kasur and Lahore.

Because the PML-N and its allies kept the seats they had previously lost, their victories in Lahore and Kasur are not particularly noteworthy.

However, their lead over their runners-up is greater than the lead their previous winners had in general elections, which is something their leaders and employees should be proud of, especially in light of the fact that their political rivals are holding nationwide demonstrations to protest the notion that their mandate was stolen in general elections.

Let’s examine fasts.

In the general elections, Maryam Nawaz emerged victorious in NA-119 Lahore-III, leading by 15,479 points, while in the by-polls, PML-N candidate Ali Pervaiz Malik triumphed over his opponent Shehzad Farooq by a margin of 26, 889.

Kasur II (NA-132) In the general election, Shehbaz Sharif was victorious against his adversary Sardar Muhammad Hussain Dogar, leading by 26,115. Meanwhile, in the by-election, PML-N candidate Malik Rasheed Ahmad defeated Dogar, leading by 55,869.

PML-N candidate Malik Riaz defeated PTI-backed candidate Muhammad Khan Madani in by-polls with a margin of 15,293, while PML-N candidate Hamza Shehbaz Sharif won by-elections in PP-147 with a lead of 5,339 over Madani.

In the general elections in PP-149, IPP candidate Aleem Khan defeated Zeeshan Rasheed, the candidate supported by the PTI, by a margin of 3,758. In the by-elections, IPP candidate Shoaib Siddiqui defeated Zeeshan Rasheed, the candidate of the SIC, by a margin of 21,522.

In general elections, Shehbaz Sharif of the PML-N defeated Muhammad Yousaf, the candidate supported by the PTI, by a margin of 1,180 votes in PP-64, whereas Rashid Minhas of the PLM-N defeated Muhammad Yousaf, the candidate of the SIC, by a margin of 5,718 votes in by-polls.

The only constituency in the by-election where the PML-N candidate has a somewhat smaller margin of victory is PP-158. In general elections, PML-N candidate Shehbaz Sharif had defeated PTI-backed adversary Yousaf Ali in this constituency by a margin of 14,795 votes; however, in by-polls, PML-N candidate Muhammad Nawaz had defeated SIC candidate Moonis Elahi by a margin of 12,147 votes.

The PML-N leadership attributes this win to its economic policies, particularly to the steps made by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, like the Ramazan Nigehban Package and the lowering of roti and naan prices.

The government’s dynamic economic policies, according to a statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are what allowed the PML-N to win the by-election by a landslide.

PML-N leader Atta Tarar had stated that the public trusted the administration and appreciated its people-friendly actions, rejecting the PTI’s “confrontation” politics.

On social media, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz greeted the party members and declared that the PML-N is the genuine representative of Pakistan’s people.

She claimed that the PTI’s allegations that the elections were rigged were refuted by the results of the by-elections.

Conversely, Sunni Itehad Council (SIC), which was formed through a merger with PIT, did not receive the same level of public support in by-polls as its candidates did in general elections.

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Elections

2024 by-election: PML-N leads for provincial seats and NA

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For five NA seats and sixteen open provincial assembly seats, by-elections were conducted.

In the National Assembly, the Sunni Ittehad Council, Pakistan People’s Party, and an independent candidate each gained one member, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) claimed two seats, according to unofficial and unverified results.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz won nine of the twelve seats up for grabs in the Punjab Assembly. The Pakistan People’s Party, the Istekham-e-Pakistan Party, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Q each secured one seat.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Balochistan National Party each secured one seat in the assembly of Balochistan.

The independent candidate and the Sunni Ittehad Council each secured one seat.

In the by-elections, voting began at 8 AM and went uninterrupted until 5 PM.

“The victory of the PML-N candidates is a manifestation of the people’s trust,” Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said, congratulating the newly elected members of the National and Provincial Assemblies.

According to Shehbaz Sharif, when the economy improves and people receive alleviation, public sentiment is clearly shifting.

According to him, the public benefits from forecasts of economic progress made by news agencies, international financial institutions, and surveys.

According to him, only mutual cooperation and political discourse can eliminate the objections and weaknesses in the democratic process.

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Elections

The NA-81 victory of the PML-N candidate is ruled invalid by the LHC.

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PTI candidate Bilal Ijaz’s petition against the electoral commission’s ruling was granted by High Court Judge Shahid Karim.

The bench questioned, “How the election commission could neglect the Supreme Court’s decision.” “Isn’t it a contempt of court to ignore the ruling of the highest court?” asked the bench. The court questioned how the election commission could become involved once the voting process was over.

PTI candidate Bilal Ijaz claimed in his petition to have won the election in February 2008 with a lead of more than 7,000 votes. “With a margin of 3,100 votes, PML-N candidate Azhar Qayyum Nahra was declared the winner in the recount.”

Bilal Ijaz argued, “The petitioner’s over 10,000 votes were discarded in the recount.” The petitioner contended that the election commission was not authorized to request a recount following the tribunal’s establishment.

He implored the court to deem the ECP’s decision for recounting void.

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