According to reports, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has been nominated by his party to run for prime minister in the next general elections on February 8. The Central Executive Committee (CEC), the PPP’s highest decision-making body, made the choice during a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the party’s campaign for the next general election at Bilawal House in Lahore. In addition, Bilawal is running from NA-127 Lahore, where he will face off against a candidate supported by the PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shaista Pervaiz Malik. The CEC meeting also covered the party’s electoral manifesto, which agreed to prioritise jobs, health, education, and the empowerment of women and youth.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) intra-party polls were declared “unconstitutional” by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which also removed the party’s famous bat electoral symbol. The case challenging the ECP’s ruling was dismissed by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday. A reserved ruling was given by LHC Justice Jawad Hassan, who also ruled that PTI leader Umar Aftab Dhillon’s case was inadmissible. The PTI leader begged the court on Wednesday to overturn the commission’s ruling and force it to post the PTI’s certificate for the intra-party poll on its website in an effort to reclaim his party’s electoral symbol in Punjab. The petitioner argued that the symbol was unlawfully removed because intra-party polling was outside the election body’s purview.
According to Anadolu, the US has deemed it futile for South Africa to file a genocide lawsuit against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), claiming that no acts of “genocide” have been witnessed. According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, “We don’t think it’s productive,” he told reporters. Miller stated, “Genocide is, of course, a heinous atrocity, one of the most heinous atrocities that any individual can commit,” emphasising that such claims “should not made lightly”. Miller however note that the US is “not seeing any acts that constitute genocide.” When asked if it believed that any war crimes had been committed, Miller responded, “We continue to collect information and gather it as we always do, but I don’t have an assessment to offer.”
The Election Commission of Pakistan’s ruling from December 22, which declared the PTI’s internal elections “unconstitutional” and invalidated the party’s well-known “bat” electoral symbol, was upheld by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday. Justice Ejaz Khan delivered the decision on the ECP’s review petitions, which had been reserved earlier in the day. The party, which claimed it was not being given a fair chance in the lead-up to the general election, has taken a serious hit from the decision. In line with its current constitution and election laws, the ECP decided on December 22 to forbid the PTI from using its electoral symbol for the February 8 election, citing the party’s inability to conduct intra-party ballots that resulted in Barrister Gohar Khan being elected PTI chairman.
Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi was visited by about 34 ASPs who are undergoing training as part of the 50th Common Training Programme at the Pakistan Police Academy on Wednesday at his office. Speaking to them, the CM underlined that in order to better serve the public, it was necessary to transform the “thana” culture, give up on the antiquated policing system, and adopt the modern era of policing. He emphasised that successful policing and excellent behaviour towards civilians are characteristics of a successful police officer, which facilitates their work. He underlined that constructive connections with the public are encouraged by Islamic teachings and fundamental human values. The CM emphasised how crucial it is to keep a good reputation and forge a prosperous career through better public relations and efficient law enforcement.
On Wednesday, President Dr. Arif Alvi gave the order to take the required steps to increase the visually impaired’s access to books and information. The president stated that encouraging a culture of book reading in the nation could lead to intellectual and personal development during the course of a meeting he chaired to assess the function and performance of the National Book Foundation at Aiwan-e-Sadr. He thought it was a good thing that books and information were available in braille for those who are blind or visually challenged. Dr. Raja Mazhar Hameed, Managing Director of NBF, gave the president an update on the function and accomplishments of the Foundation during the meeting. He noted that steps were being taken by the National Book Foundation to support those who are dyslexic.
Aneeq Ahmed, the federal minister for religious affairs and interfaith harmony, stated on Wednesday that the government is working to meet all of the camps’ requirements in order to better serve the pilgrims. He stated that the objective of his visit to Hajji Camp Quetta was to examine the amenities offered to the pilgrims. According to the minister, the government has signed a number of agreements to give pilgrims greater amenities. According to Aneeq Ahmed, all of the preparations for the June Hajj have already been finished by the government. He claimed that the return of Afghan refugees who had previously performed the Hajj unlawfully using passports from Pakistan was the cause of the drop in Hajj applications.
Sartaj Aziz, a top PML-N leader and former finance minister, was buried on Wednesday in Islamabad’s H-8 cemetery. There were people from all walks of life in Islamabad for his funeral. Among them were prominent figures such as Sardar Mehtab Khan Abbasi, former minister Ijaz ul Haq, PPP’s Farhatullah Babar, Chairman of the PML-N Raja Zafar ul Haq, Dr. Tariq Fazal Ch, and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. His family has announced that the deceased’s Rasm-e-Qul will take place in a farm house at Chak Shehzad, Islamabad, tomorrow at 3 PM. Shehbaz Sharif, the president of the PML-N and a former prime minister, also travelled to Islamabad to express his condolences to the veteran politician’s family.
After killing Hamas deputy head Saleh Al Arouri in Lebanon with a drone strike, Israel’s spy director pledged on Wednesday to hold the terrorist organisation accountable for its attacks against Israel. According to David Barnea, the Mossad espionage organisation “is committed to settling the score with the murderers who descended upon the Gaza envelope on October 7″ and with Hamas. “It will take time, just like after the Munich [incident], but we will lay our hands on them wherever they will be.” Barnea gave a speech during the funeral of Zvi Zamir, the former head of Mossad who directed Israel’s reprisals against Palestinian militant organisations following the massacre on Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich in 1972.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the prime minister, has underlined the necessity of increasing tax collection to guarantee the people has access to high-quality welfare, education, and other public institutions. Speaking to students at Beaconhouse National University in Lahore on Tuesday, he said that future administrations can build on the accomplishments of the interim government, which successfully met its tax collecting goal. In answer to a query concerning how Pakistan’s crop burning practices are aggravating climate change, the prime minister emphasised the necessity of structural changes at the enforcement level to deal with such anomalies. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar responded to a question concerning the prohibition of New Year’s celebrations in support of the Palestinian people by stating that Pakistan stays away from fireworks and other festivities in order to draw attention to the continuous Israeli oppression of Gaza.
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