QUETTA: Polling for the local bodies (LB) elections for over 4,000 seats in 32 districts of Balochistan has ended and the counting of votes is underway.
Stringent security arrangements had been made, while the day was declared as a public holiday facilitating voters to cast their votes in large numbers.
QUETTA: The Balochistan government has chalked out a comprehensive security plan to ensure peaceful local government elections in the volatile province.
Local bodies’ elections, scheduled for Saturday Dec 7, appear to be a major challenge for the provincial government in Balochistan, led by nationalist Dr Abdul Malik Baloch.
The May 11 general elections witnessed violent attacks by separatist armed groups in the capital Quetta and other troubled parts of the province.
This is not the single case. There are a number of persons, men as well as women, who had cast multiple votes in different constituencies during this year’s general elections. The identities of these persons have been established now, thanks to use of modern technology for the first time in country.
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) submitted a request to the Supreme Court asking for an extension to the current election dates for upcoming Local Government (LG) elections, Express News reported on Monday.
The polls are scheduled for November 27 in Sindh, and December 7 in Punjab and Balochistan – these dates were provided as options to the ECP by the Supreme Court.
Earlier the ECP had asked Punjab’s provincial government to provide the body with all the required resources for making arrangement for the local government elections.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday disqualified Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Sumaira Malik for contesting 2008 elections with a fake degree, Express News reported.
The apex court also ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to file a criminal case against her.
Malik had emerged victorious in the elections in NA-69 Khushab in 2008.
The SC further said that Malik should be asked to reimburse all the expenditure incurred while she was in office.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court issued an order to indict Defence Secretary Asif Yasin Malik on Friday for not holding local government elections on time in the cantonment boards,Express News reported.
The defence secretary had apologised to the court in Islamabad on October 22 and asked for more time to hold the elections. He will be indicted on November 4.
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is set to suspend the membership of 70 legislators, including 23 members of the National Assembly and Senate, for their failure to submit statements of their assets and liabilities as required under the law, Dawn has learnt.
Sources in the ECP said a notification in this regard was likely to be issued on Monday (today).
PUNJAB: The Punjab Government said on Thursday that Local Body (LB) elections in the province will be held by December 14 this year, Express News reported.
This was stated during a hearing in the Lahore High Court. The Punjab province had previously given the date of election as December 4.
The Supreme Court had asked all provincial governments to announce the schedule of the local bodies elections and submit it to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by October 7.
The Supreme Court deadline, of September 15 to hold the polls, came and passed and none of the provinces or the capital territory bothered to hold local bodies elections. In fact, all the provinces have lagged behind.
ISLAMABAD: Out of 1,166 legislators from the Senate, National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies, only 245 have submitted statements of their assets as the last date, September 30, approaches.
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday issued another reminder to lawmakers to file returns by the deadline.
The ECP sources said a total of 245 legislators – 72 MNAs, 35 Senators, 100 Punjab Assembly MPAs, 25 Sindh MPAs, 5 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa MPAs and eight Balochistan MPAs had filed their annual returns.
ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday scheduled a meeting in early October with concerned government officials of all provinces and Islamabad territory for the up coming local body elections, Radio Pakistan reported.
Interestingly however, the ECP inquiries found no evidence indicating that women were barred from voting in the two constituencies. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman faction) rejected the findings, alleging that these were influenced by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government.
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari was given a farewell guard of honour in Islamabad on Sunday, Express News reported.
Zardari, who is also the co-chairman of the beleaguered Pakistans Peoples Party (PPP), steps down as the president today, having defied expectations by holding onto power for a record five years.
He will be heading to Lahore after departing from the President House.
He presided over the only civilian government in Pakistan history to complete a full term in office and hand over to another through the ballot box.
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday announced the official results of the country’s largest by-polls and ruling party Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) once again topped the electoral race by winning 18 of the 39 national and provincial assembly seats.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP), which had fared poorly in the general elections despite being in the ruling coalition for five years, seem to be awakening while the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf’s (PTI) ‘tsunami’ seems to have receded.
According to the initial vote count, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s candidate Mamnoon Hussain has been elected as Pakistan’s 12th president, comfortably securing the majority vote in the presidential election, Express News reported on Tuesday.
Hussain will take oath on September 9.
The incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari, along with a number of politicians congratulated Hussain on his victory.
The table below shows the number of electoral votes received by the PML-N and PTI candidates.
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has announced to boycott the presidential elections according to presidential candidate Raza Rabbani during an emergency press conference, Express News reported on Friday.
Raza Rabbani expressed concern over the fact that the Supreme Court decided the earlier date for the election as July 30 instead of August 6, whereas the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is an independent body.
