On Tuesday, senators from the opposition denounced the purported election tampering and chastised Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja for his perceived “inability” to maintain electoral integrity. On February 8, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) urged that CEC Raja resign from his office due to the lack of transparent polls. In an address to the Senate today in Islamabad, the JI senator said that the elections were rigged and that they would establish a rigged administration. The senator made grave accusations against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), claiming that it committed treason and ought to apologise to the country. Article 6 of the constitution should be used to pursue legal action against the CEC.
A “dangerous stalemate” could result from the ongoing discussions between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), according to Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who issued the warning on Tuesday. This is because “someone” needs to adjust their stance on government formation. “Talks can only move forward if’someone’ is prepared to shift their stance. “We will not alter our stance; we are firm in it,” Bilawal declared, omitting the PML-N. He made these remarks at a press conference held outside Pakistan’s Supreme Court following his attendance at the hearing for a presidential reference challenging Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s death penalty. In an attempt to come to a consensus over the composition of the future government, Bilawal’s statements coincide with the PML-N and PPP coordination committees’ sixth meeting, which is scheduled for today.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has questioned whether the Supreme Court and the military forces had a chance to make amends for their previous transgressions and rebuild their credibility in light of the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reference. During a hearing on a presidential reference concerning the death sentence given to the former prime minister Bhutto in 1979, the top judge said on Tuesday, “Isn’t this an opportunity for both institutions to get rid of the accusations hurled against them?” The presidential reference was heard by the larger bench of the supreme court, which was chaired by Chief Justice Isa and included Justices Sardar Tariq Masood, Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Yahya Afridi, Amin-ud-din Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Musarrat Hilali.
According to Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the State of Pakistan would stand up for civil officials as they carry out their constitutional obligations and will take action against violent media trolls who are waging a defamatory campaign on social media. In light of the current social media effort by certain factions, he made this statement today. According to the prime minister, Pakistani voters delivered a divided mandate on February 8 and spoke with one voice. But some groups that have a history of violence and vigilantism are now employing new strategies, such as turning social media into a weapon, to intimidate and coerce state personnel into abandoning the State of Pakistan in favour of the violent gang.
On Monday, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa gave the order for the officials to bring the petitioner before the court. The petitioner had attempted to withdraw his plea, in which he had asked that the February 8 elections be declared illegitimate, and had requested that the hearing be postponed until February 21. In order to bring Brig (r) Ali Khan before the three-member bench that also includes Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Musarrat Hilali, the chief justice gave the concerned SHO instructions to track him down. Chief Justice Isa made it clear that the nation’s highest court would consider the case and asked whether the petitioners had filed merely to become well-known right away. Although the court acknowledged that Brig (r) Khan had asked to have the petition withdrawn, it questioned whether publicity was the only objective.
On Monday, Murtaza Solangi, the Minister of Information, Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs, announced the formation of a high-level investigative commission to look into the claims made by former Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaquat Ali Chatta about election manipulation. Speaking with members of the media following the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting hearing, he asked for understanding as the legal procedure was still in progress. He went on, saying that the public ought to have faith in authorities and the legal system. He said that the charges of election tampering were being looked at by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The minister emphasised how important it is to wait for the outcome of the current judicial processes. He declared that the caretaker government had carried out its duty to hold free, fair, and peaceful elections.
A majority vote in the Senate on Monday rejected a plan that would have allowed people found guilty of rape to be executed in public. Lawmakers fiercely opposed the concept, calling it a “counter-effective measure in deterring sexual crimes.” By a vote of 24 to 14, the upper chamber of parliament rejected the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023, which sought to change the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898. Hafiz Abdul Kareem, Kamal Ali Agha, Abdul Qadir, Mehr Taj Roghani, Kamran Murtaza, Maulana Faiz Muhammad, and other senators backed the bill that Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmed proposed. In order to ensure that such horrible crimes are prevented in the future, senators who had voted against the law demanded tougher prosecutions, investigations to combat sexual crimes, and an improved jail atmosphere.
As part of their parliamentary plan, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Monday that the party-backed independent candidates who won in the Centre, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the general elections of 2024 will be joining the right-wing Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). Alongside party leaders Raoof Hasan, PTI PM candidate Omar Ayub Khan, SIC Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Majlis Wahadat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) Secretary General Allama Nasir Abbas, he spoke to the media in Islamabad today. Barrister Gohar stated, “With their consent, we are announcing today that PTI-supported independents are joining the Sunni Ittehad Council. Our candidates have submitted their affidavits with us.” He clarified that the party and the SIC had established a “formal agreement,” which will be filed to the Election Commission.
The close result of Pakistan’s election and the ensuing political unrest, according to Fitch Ratings, could make it more difficult for the nation to obtain a funding deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to replace the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), which is set to expire in March 2024. The country’s credit profile depends on a new agreement, which we believe will be reached in a few months. However, the rating agency stated in a statement that prolonged negotiations or failure to reach a deal would exacerbate external liquidity stress and increase the likelihood of default.
Three Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates for the National Assembly had their victory notices for the National Assembly stopped by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday. Judge Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, who make up the IHC’s two-member bench, issued the ruling against Tariq Fazl Chaudhry, Anjum Aqeel, and Raja Khurram Nawaz of the PML-N. According to unofficial results from the NA-47 constituency, Chaudhry had won with 102,502 votes; however, his opponent contested his victory. Aqeel has garnered 81,958 votes and won the NA-46 constituency. Aamir Mughal, the independent candidate sponsored by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), however, contested it. The PTI-backed candidate Ali Bukhari had contested Raja Khurram Islamabad’s NA-48 seat, and the court also halted the notification of Bukhari’s victory.
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