As Israel turned down pleas to postpone a planned attack on the Gaza city of Rafah, mediator Qatar said that chances for a fresh respite in Israel’s conflict with Hamas were “not really promising”. Netanyahu claimed that other nations were essentially ordering Israel to “lose the war” by urging it to spare the city, where 1.4 million Palestinians have sought safety. This week saw a sharp increase in the efforts to establish a truce as the United States, Qatar, and other mediators Egypt and Egypt raced to get one before Israeli forces moved into Rafah, the last significant Gazan city unaffected by Israeli ground forces. Israel’s Netanyahu maintained that the operation will go regardless of whether a hostage release agreement was reached, even after US Joe Biden made a direct appeal earlier this week.
According to reports, the Supreme Court scheduled a hearing for February 19 (Monday) to consider a petition to declare the general elections of February 8 null and void. The plea will be heard by a three-person bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali will also be on the bench. Ali Khan, the complainant, has received a notification from the top court. The petitioner has requested that elections be held afresh in light of claims of electoral tampering. Allegations of election manipulation have been made by a number of political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). The excessively long wait for the polls’ final results on February 8 cast doubt on the fairness of the electoral process.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the prime minister, stated on Friday that the nation has moved towards economic stability thanks to the caretaker government’s quick resolution of significant, long-standing concerns. According to him, the caretaker arrangement prioritised providing all amenities to foreign investors and the business community in order to maximise foreign direct investment in the nation. He underlined that until its final day in office, the caretaker government remained dedicated to carrying out its efforts to address the issues plaguing the nation’s economy. The prime minister presided over a meeting to discuss a number of Karachi Electric (KE) concerns and stated that the government was working to find quick solutions to the remaining difficulties so that residents could continue to receive electricity without interruption.
Murtaza Solangi, Minister of Information, Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs, announced on Friday that the first session of the new National Assembly (NA) would be called in order to carry out the decision made by the electorate during the general elections. At the launch event for Pakistan Television’s (PTV) newsletter, he declared, “We will implement the verdict given by the people of Pakistan and the NA session will be convened as soon as the Election Commission of Pakistan forwards the official results to the Assembly’s Secretariat.” He added that the PTV’s idea to publish a newsletter that would eventually encourage young people to read and write was admirable. The clergyman mentioned that print reporting was where he began his career.
GDA and Jamaat-i-Islami have categorically rejected Feb 8 polls in Jamshoro power show, saying that elections were ‘rigged’. Grand Democratic Alliance leader Pir Pagara has alleged...
As for intimidation and suppression of voters, the United States is “concerned” about allegations emerging from Pakistan and is keeping a “very close eye” on the situation, according to John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council in the White House. Imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan, who charged Washington with masterminding the overthrow of his PTI government, appealed to the US for assistance on Thursday, saying that it ought to take part and express apprehension regarding his nation’s “rigged” general elections. At a public rally in March 2022, Imran Khan, then 71, denied the existence of a rumoured diplomatic cable, known as the cypher, and claimed that the US intended to overthrow his government. Shortly after, however, his political career began to decline.
Following the instructions of party founder Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) declared on Friday that it would form the opposition in the Centre and Punjab. Speaking to reporters following a meeting with the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) in Islamabad, PTI leader Barrister Saif said that the party has chosen to sit on the opposition benches in both the Punjab and National assemblies. “Many politicians face the allegations that they have power lust but we have decided to sit in the opposition in the Centre and Punjab, despite the fact that if we had got the seats according to the votes we received, we would have been forming the government in the Centre,” he stated.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the prime minister, stated on Thursday that the steps implemented under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIF) were having a beneficial effect as the interim administration worked tirelessly to boost the country’s economy. Speaking to a group of industrialists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa led by Senator Nauman Wazir and representing the Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP), he stated, “The caretaker government took steps to create a conducive environment for business, facilitate the role of the private sector in the country’s development and increase tax revenue,” at the Prime Minister’s Office. According to a PM Office news release, other attendees included Federal Bureau of Revenue Chairman Jameel Ahmed, Governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), and secretaries from the relevant ministries.
Syed Tariq Muhammad ul Hassan’s appointment as Pakistan Baitul Maal’s (PBM) managing director was approved by the Federal Cabinet on Thursday. The Prime Minister House Media Wing released a press release stating that the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Security recommended the decision be made. The cabinet gave its approval for the transportation of new tyres and vehicle spare parts from Karachi Port to Kabul for use by the UNDP Country Office in Afghanistan. It was advised that while such imports and their transfer to Afghanistan were forbidden in order to stop smuggling within the nation, the aforementioned tyres and spare parts were intended for use by the UN and not for commercial purposes.
The Foreign Office (FO) declared on Thursday that Pakistan was dedicated to honouring its constitutional commitments and that the country’s election process was an internal, sovereign matter. FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch made the statements in answer to questions from the media on how the world would react to the election on February 8. The 12th general elections in Pakistan were held last week, with about 60.6 million voters casting ballots. However, the poll day was tainted by claims of election tampering and a daylong suspension of cellphone communications, drawing condemnation from a number of nations. Concerns over purported electoral meddling, including the imprisonment of political activists, were expressed by the US and the EU. They underlined that a thorough examination is necessary for any claims of anomalies, manipulation, or fraudulent activity.
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