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Elections

The interim government decides against blocking the internet on February 8.

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Murtaza Solangi, the interim minister of information, rejected the idea of blocking the internet on February 8, a day when over 128 million people are anticipated to exercise their constitutional right to vote for representatives.

Speaking on a private television station, Solangi stated that, given the state of peace and order, local administrations are able to determine whether to shut down the internet. That being said, he emphasised that no such incident has been recorded as of yet.

In the lead-up to the next general elections, the nation has had many internet outages, most notably on December 7 and 17, and then again on January 20 of last month. His comments coincide with these occurrences.

Concerns about potential internet outages on election day have arisen since the government has not provided clear explanations for any of the internet interruptions, with the exception of the one on January 20 that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) described as a “technical fault”.

On Sunday, the acting Minister of Information for Balochistan, Jan Achakzai, declared that on election day, internet access will be temporarily blocked at the province’s key voting places.

“Ensuring the safety and security of ordinary citizens is of utmost importance, as there is a concern that terrorists may exploit social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and other similar channels for communication purposes,” Achakzai stated in a statement.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja also dismissed the idea that there would be a communication or internet service interruption on February 8 earlier this week.

Raja stated, “No proposal for internet shutdown on election day is under consideration,” following a thorough meeting of the ECP regarding security protocols and safeguards following terrorist attacks that targeted electioneering operations.

The minister elaborated on these possibilities, referring to security concerns as a “serious issue” and emphasising that unusual circumstances called for extraordinary responses.

Regarding the potential of an election delay, Solangi rejected it, pointing out that there have been times in the nation’s history when polls were conducted under challenging circumstances.

In response to another question, he reiterated the interim administration’s commitment to guaranteeing fair competition for all political parties and stated that the caretaker government had no favourites in the elections.

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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