Elections

The Peshawar High Court rejects the appeal for special seats made by SIC.

Published

2 months ago

Farwa

The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) petitioned the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to provide reserved seats for women and minorities, but the request was denied by a five-member bigger court on Thursday.

After listening to the parties’ three hours of arguments, the court deferred judgment on the petition.

The bench, which was presided over by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and comprised Justices Ijaz Anwar, Atiq Shah, Shakeel Ahmed, and Syed Arshad Ali, heard six petitions from the Election Commission of Pakistan as well as from other political parties.

Barrister Ali Zafar persisted in his arguments when the hearing began on Thursday, arguing that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been stripped of its emblem just days before the general elections.

After the Election Commission (ECP) decided to strip the PTI of its electoral emblem, candidates were granted alternative symbols to run as independents, a move that was supported by the Supreme Court. Nonetheless, a landslide of votes went to the PTI.

According to Barrister Zafar, they joined the SIC after becoming victorious in the election as independents.

The SIC was joined by 86 members-elect of the National Assembly, 107 from Punjab, 90 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 9 from Sindh, and 1 from Balochistan legislatures.

He said that the ECP was required to provide the SIC 78 seats, but it did not.

The lawyer was asked by the court if it was considering the issue of all of the nation’s reserved seats. The appeal was for the National and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, Barrister Zafar retorted.

It should be mentioned that the SIC was denied three minority seats and twenty reserved seats for women by the ECP.

The ECP has said that it will decide this matter, according to Barrister Zafar. Six other applications were submitted in the meantime asking that the SIC not be given the allocated seats.

The SIC did not run in the general elections, the petitioners complained. As a result, before to the election, a list of candidates for reserved seats was not filed. Thus, the applicants requested that the seats that were reservedshould be distributed among other parties, he added.

The attorney argued that the Constitution stipulates that the number of seats that a party wins determines how many reserved seats it gets.

Barrister Zafar stated that he would want to present an argument about the query posed yesterday regarding the court’s authority over seats in the National Assembly.

Someone posed the inquiry, “What is a political party?” Barrister Zafar stated that the party that is named is a political party. Sections 202 and 210 of the Election Act go into great depth on what constitutes a political party.

if or if the SIC runs for office is irrelevant. He said that boycotts had a role in the election as well.

The court inquired as to whether a political party would continue to exist if it participated in elections or not. A political group takes part inThe lawyer said the Constitution provides that reserved seats should be given according to the number of seats won by a party.
Barrister Zafar said he would like to argue the question asked yesterday that whether this court has jurisdiction over the National Assembly seats.
A question was asked; what is a political party. Barrister Zafar said according to him, a political party is the one that is listed. Election Act’s sections 202 and 210 discuss in detail what is a political party.
It is insignificant whether the SIC contests election or not. Boycott is also a part of the election, he argued.
The court asked if a political party contest election or not, will it remain a political party. A political party participates in elections to win seats, it added.

Barrister Zafar said he would like to argue the question asked yesterday about whether this court has jurisdiction over the National Assembly seats.
A question was asked: What is a political party? Barrister Zafar said, according to him, a political party is the one that is listed. The Election Act’s sections 202 and 210 discuss in detail what a political party is.
It is insignificant whether the SIC contests the election or not. Boycott is also a part of the election, he argued.
The court asked whether a political party would contest an election or not and whether it would remain a political party. A political party participates in elections to win seats, it added.
According to Barrister Zafar, the SIC is authorized to run for office and has an electoral symbol.

Political parties have rights under Article 72, he said; they can form governments, take part in elections, and be granted reserved seats.

He was asked what would happen if a political party decided not to run for office by Justice Shakeel Ahmed. He asked, “What are my fundamental constitutional rights if I am a political party?”

According to Barrister Zafar, one is entitled to a number of basic rights under Article 17. The difference between a political party and a parliamentary party is not clear to the ECP.

The distribution of reserved seats among political parties is outlined in Article 51(3). According to him, political parties receive reserved seats based on the number of general seats they have won.

The court asked if an independent candidate may run on a ticket with allocated seats if that was his desire.

In response, the attorney said that independents must become members of a party. It is unconstitutional, he added, to deprive a party of its allocated seats for the sole reason of failing to submit a list.

It is not required to file a second time. According to him, a second schedule may be released, much as the ECP did when they released a revised election timetable.

Elections

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

Published

6 days ago

Farwa

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.

Elections

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

Published

7 days ago

Farwa

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.

Elections

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

Published

2 weeks ago

Farwa

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.