News

Explain yourself: High court asks election tribunal about bogus votes

Mar 08 2014
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court issued notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the Election Tribunal and others on Friday on a petition seeking authentication of more than 92,000 votes cast in the provincial assembly constituency PS-114.

Headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, the bench also restrained the election tribunal from passing any order on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) plea against the victory of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz’s Irfanullah Marwat.

The game that never ends: PHC accepts petitions of runners-up from NA-9, NA-34

Mar 07 2014
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday accepted the application of the runner-up from Mardan’s NA-9 seeking thumb verification of votes polled on May 11, 2013. A division bench comprising Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain also accepted the application of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Mohammad Bashir Khan who lost his seat to Jamaat-e-Islami’s Sahibzada Muhammad Yaqoob on Lower Dir’s NA-34.

NA debate on National Security Policy

Mar 05 2014
Pakistan
Source: 
The News International

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) began debate on the National Security Policy on Wednesday.

 

The debate was initiated by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentarian Yousaf Talpur who said the army should not be part of the dialogue process. Talpur said the army’s responsibility was to protect the country’s borders.

 

JUI-F parliamentarian Mualana Muhammad Khan Shirani said external aggression had been painted as internal conflict. He further said the purpose of the coalition support fund was to pay for services provided.

 

Internal differences: PTI in knots over who to give Zakat committee reins

Mar 04 2014
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune
PESHAWAR: Differences have cropped up among local leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the nomination of Ushr and Zakat chairperson of the district.

An insider of PTI’s local chapter told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that the party had nominated Malik Tahir Raees as the district chairperson while Minister for Information Shah Farman had recommended Muhammad Daud.

Ultimatum: AJK opposition leader asks PM to dissolve assembly

Mar 03 2014
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune
MUZAFFARABAD: Opposition leader in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Raja Farooq Haider Khan on Sunday asked Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed to dissolve the assembly or face a no-confidence motion.

Addressing a press conference here at the Central Press Club, Haider, accompanied by Secretary General PML-N Azad Kashmir Shah Ghulam Qadir, said, “The PM has completely failed to deliver on his promises for more than two years and in June his government will complete its third year while nothing has been done for the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.”

Missing governance: Balochistan local bodies put on backburner

Feb 25 2014
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune
ISLAMABAD: The local bodies’ elections took place in Balochistan on December 7 last year, but nearly three months later, there is still no local government in the province.

Local bureaucrats are not hopeful. “The formation of local government in the province may take months and years,” said Sultan Bayazeed, the provincial election commissioner (PEC) of Balochistan.

He cited the absence of required laws as a major reason behind the unprecedented delay in the elections that would bring mayors and municipal, district and union councils into being.

Local government polls: Empowering women at the grass-roots

Feb 19 2014
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune

In anticipation of local government elections, much of the discourse in recent months has challenged the laws put forward by provincial governments under judiciary-induced deadlines, including lukewarm lobbying for the greater inclusion of women at the grass-roots level.

At a seminar hosted by Oxfam, in collaboration with several rights and women advocacy groups, party representatives expressed ambivalence over seats allotted to women in the Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

One more round in Haripur: Electioneering picks up for partial polling in Haripur

Jan 27 2014
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune
HARIPUR: With the Supreme Court of Pakistan upholding the election tribunal’s decision regarding the suspension of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) lawmaker from NA-19 and ordering re-election in seven polling stations of Haripur district on January 29, election activity has again picked up in the respective areas.

ECP postpones local government elections in Punjab

Jan 04 2014
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune

After a Lahore High Court order gave the Punjab government time to complete delimitations, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday announced postponement of Local Government Elections in the province, Express News reported.

Punjab local bodies polls had been scheduled for January 30, but will now be held only after authorities complete delimiting constituencies all over again, a process which could take six to eight months.

SHC verdict on Sindh delimitations challenged in SC

Jan 04 2014
Pakistan
Source: 
Dawn News

KARACHI: The Sindh government on Saturday filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against Sindh High Court (SHC) verdict that declared as illegal the fresh delimitations before the upcoming local government polls in the province.

Advocate General (AG) Sindh, Khalid Jawed Khan filed the petition on behalf of the provincial government in the apex court’s Karachi registry, questioning SHC judgment of December 26, 2013.

LHC declares delimitation laws in Punjab to be illegal

Dec 31 2013
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday announced that it has declared Section 8 and 9 of the Punjab Local Government Act 2013 to be illegal, Express News reported.

Sections 8 and 9, which fall under the ‘local areas’ chapter of the Act, are related to the delimitation of Union Councils and the delimitation of wards in Municipal Committees respectively.

Lahore High Court’s full bench gave the final verdict.

The court announced that a new law should be created and implemented to tackle the issue of delimitation.

Election vote verification should not become 'political football': Nisar

Dec 20 2013
Pakistan
Source: 
The Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan stated that the thumb impression verification of the votes cast in the May 11 general elections should not be turned into a “political football”, Express News reported on Wednesday.

He was speaking during a National Assembly session in Islamabad.

“This issue has been made into an unnecessary problem by a political party,” the interior minister added, referring to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

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