Tag Archives: Senate elections

pakistan

The finance minister fired amid rising inflation | Instant News


Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday removed Finance Minister Hafeez Shaikh from his post amid rising inflation in the country.

Speaking to reporters, Information Minister Shibli Faraz said Industry and Production Minister Hammad Azhar would lead Khan’s new finance team.
According to Faraz, Khan decided to bring in a new finance team given the “inflation that has occurred”.

This comes weeks after Shaikh, a former IMF employee, admitted a shock defeat at the hands of former prime minister and joint opposition candidate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.

Appointed in 2019 as the prime minister’s adviser on finance, the Sheikh has come under heavy criticism for inflation, and rising prices for oil, gas and electricity, the IMF’s main demand for a $ 6 billion financial package to prop up a reeling nation. the economy.

He was promoted to full minister last year.

Because the Shaykh failed to become an elected member of parliament following his defeat in the Senate elections, he was unable to continue as minister.

According to the Constitution, the prime minister can only appoint representatives who are not elected as ministers for six months.

Khan’s new choice, Azhar, is a graduate in development economics from the University of London and has long served as minister of industry and production.

He is the third finance minister since the Khan Tehreek-e-Insaf party came to power in 2018.

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The initial explosion of the government for ‘blackmailing’ the ECP, CEC | Instant News


ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari strongly criticized the Pakistani government’s continued attacks on Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the General Election Commission. Pakistan (ECP), said requests for resignation from polling officials were “blackmail”.

The PPP leadership, in a statement, said the ECP’s refusal to partner in the collusion and engineering of elections with PTI was considered a “rebellion”.

“The demand for resignation of the chairman of the election commissioners and members of the ECP is a tactic of blackmail on the part of the PTI government,” Bilawal said, accusing PTI of raising millions of dollars through foreign funding as a dubious political party to seize power.

Bilawal also said that the electoral authority must carry out its business in accordance with the constitution and related laws. “The threat to the ECP to force it to follow PTI’s electoral fraud strategy must be condemned firmly. Throughout, the nation and its Constitution support the ECP as a national institution. “

Also read: The PM asked a multi-party parliamentary committee to review electoral reforms

Ha went on to say that an independent electoral commission was necessary for a true and living democracy and warned that any attempt to subdue and hold the ECP hostage as the PTI regime wishes would be stiffly opposed by all democratic forces.

Bilawal’s remarks came after the PTI government demanded the resignation of the ECP official – the chief electoral commissioner and four provincial members – while accusing poll watchdogs of “failing miserably” in holding transparent Senate elections and thereby losing the government’s trust.

Friction between government and ECP It comes when the latter insists in the Supreme Court that Senate elections must be done by secret ballot, taking a stand against the government’s attempts to hold elections by open ballot.

Then, elections were held by secret ballot on March 3. In the election, Hafeez Sheikh PTI lost to Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Yousuf Raza Gilani in the general seat of Islamabad. Also, PTI is unhappy with the ECP following a re-vote order in Daska.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Imran Khan had contacted National Assembly Chairman Asad Qaiser, asking a multi-party parliamentary committee to review an electoral reform bill submitted by the Tehreek-e-Insaf Pakistan-led government in October 2020.

The current corruption-burdened system has been particularly badly exposed in recent Senate elections requiring immediate changes, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, while distributing the prime minister’s letter addressed to NA speakers, said in a tweet on Wednesday. .

On Monday, three federal ministers addressed a joint press conference in the federal capital, demanding his resignation ECP and the creation of a new EMB that everyone can trust.

The next day, the government also announced that it would initiate an insult process against the ECP if it did not submit its resignation. While briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that consultations had been held with the Prosecutor General of Pakistan.

The federal minister said that the government could initiate humiliation against court proceedings ECP officials if they don’t step down, adding the government will use all available options on that count.

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The government is demanding the resignation of the chairman of the election commissioner, wanting the ECP to be re-established | Instant News


Shafqat Mehmood held a press conference. Photo: New Geo Screengrab
  • The ECP official must step down collectively, said Shafqat Mehmood.
  • The government says the ECP failed to act as a “neutral referee” in the recently held Senate elections.
  • Prime Minister Imran Khan wants Senate elections to be held by an open vote, Mehmood said.

ISLAMABAD: The government has asked the chief election commissioner to resign and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be reinstated as it holds the Commission responsible for failing to hold recent Senate elections in a transparent manner.

“It has long been the prime minister’s request that the power of money should not be used to influence elections,” Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, who is flanked by information ministers Shibli Faraz and Fawad Chaudhry, told a news conference Monday.

“To this end, the prime minister wants Senate elections to be held by open ballot.”

Read more: Prime Minister Imran Khan vows to never let the corruptors escape, whether in power or not

Mehmood said it was the ECP’s responsibility to ensure that transparent voting was held. He said that the government had told the ECP to implement a system that did not allow corrupt practices to occur.

Mehmood said the ECP failed to uphold its mandate and fulfill its responsibilities.

The minister then asked the Election Commission to be re-established, accusing him of failing to meet the required standards.

“Transparency of election administration is the responsibility of the KPU. This responsibility was apparently not fulfilled, “he said.

“The KPU failed to act as a neutral referee, because of this [its officials] have to resign, “added Mehmood.

Mehmood said the PTI is the largest political party in the country and has no confidence in the ECP.

“If you ask other parties, they don’t even have confidence in the ECP after the recent elections were held,” he said.

“The ECP official must therefore resign collectively and a new commission must be formed which will earn the trust of all parties.”

Read more: The government calls the NA session for PM Imran Khan’s confidence move

Mehmood noted that no political party in Pakistan was happy with the outcome of the Senate election, adding that whatever happened during the recent voting was the result of the ECP’s ‘failure’.

The government condemned the attack on Dr Shahbaz Gill

The Education Minister also criticized the attack on Dr Shahbaz Gill earlier in the day, alleging that the PML-N instigated the attack.

“A disappointing incident occurred today in which shoes and ink were thrown at Shahbaz Gill,” he said. “We condemn this attack.”

“If matters go according to PML-N’s wishes, everything is fine, but if something goes wrong, the party decides to attack,” said the minister.

“PML-N was responsible for attacks on the Supreme Court in the past,” he recalled.

“When the prime ministers were looking for a vote of confidence, their leaders arrived [outside the parliament] to spark a fight, “added Mehmood.

He said the PML-N must reflect on its decisions and actions, which take politics towards confrontation and violence.

Tensions are rising between the ECP, the government

Tensions between the government and the ECP peaked after PTI lost the landmark Senate election for the seat of General Islamabad when former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani defeated Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh despite not having enough numbers in the camp.

In his speech to the country after the election, PM Imran Khan lashed out at the ECP and accused it of allowing the horse trade to take place.

The commission hit back at the government a day later, saying that they “have never been under any pressure and, God willing, will not be in the future either”.

“We cannot ignore the law and the Constitution to please anyone,” said the ECP.

Referring to former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s victory over Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, the ECP has said it “rejects” the analysis and criticism leveled at any of the Senate election results.

“This is the beauty of democracy and independent elections and secret ballots witnessed by the entire nation, which are in accordance with the Constitution,” he said.

The ECP has said it has heard all delegates who have called it to discuss election-related issues and undertake a detailed review of their concerns and recommendations ahead of the Senate election.

“The electoral commission listens to everyone but fulfills its responsibilities according to the law and the Constitution and takes decisions independently, not under any pressure,” the statement read.

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PDM postponed Monday’s meeting for a day | Instant News


ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has postponed its March 15 meeting to one day until Tuesday, March 16.

JUI-F Amir and PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday contacted the secretary general of the alliance Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and informed him of the change in plans.

The option of resigning en masse from the assembly and the March 26 march against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government will be discussed at the meeting, he told Abbasi, adding that this option would increase the chances of a successful long march.

The meeting will be hosted by PML-N and will be held at its secretariat on Tuesday at 2pm.

Earlier today, the top three PDM made contact and promised to settle the defeat of the alliance’s joint candidate – Yousuf Raza Gilani – in the election for the Senate chairperson slot.

Read more: The PDM will challenge the election of Senate chairman in the high court: Bilawal

Pakistani People’s Party (PPP) deputy chairmen Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman contemplating setbacks in Senate elections during telephone conversations, sources said The Express Tribune.

JUI-F’s Amir discusses the upcoming opposition long march in Islamabad to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Imran. The trio also agreed to approach relevant forums to challenge yesterday’s upper house parliamentary elections.

Zardari assured that the other two people would take firm action against PPP members if they were proven to have deliberately scattered the votes.

According to sources familiar with the developments, Sharif confirmed during discussions that the agency was behind the crisis and suggested checking the phone data of senators who received anonymous calls from unknown numbers and from those who had met government officials or candidates.

That PDM Top brass agreed to carry out an investigation into opposition senators who have close ties to re-elected chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.

Also read: A rough awakening for PDM

The victory for the two government-backed candidates in the top Senate slot was seen as a major shock to the anti-government 11-party alliance, which has stunned the government when it won the seat of the federal capital in the Senate election on March 3.

The victory has forced Prime Minister Imran Khan to take a vote of confidence from the National Assembly; which he did and began his second political chapter in the midst of a five-year constitutional term.

Experts believe that Friday’s defeat in the face of a clear majority in the House of Representatives has put PDM on the back foot and given the leeway the government badly needs amid the ongoing political volatility.

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‘PML-N, PPP are suspicious of each other after the Senate lost yesterday’ | Instant News


Federal Minister for IT Fawad Chaudhry. Photo: Files

JHELUM: Federal Minister for IT Fawad Chaudhry has claimed the PML-N and PPP were suspicious of each other after the Opposition’s shock defeat in the Senate elections held yesterday for chairman and vice chairman.

“God has given victory to PTI,” said Chaudhry. “We won [Senate seats] from each [five] assembly. ”

“There is a need to make the Senate election process more transparent. PML-N and PPP are now suspicious of each other. All of these parties just came together out of a grudge against Imran Khan,” he said.

Referring to the PDM’s announcement that they will approach the court to challenge the results of the Senate chairman election, Chaudhry said: “They will get nothing out of court – Sanjrani is the current Senate chairman.”

The day before, Chaudhry had spoken on a TV talk show and suggested that the government was still willing to sit down with the Opposition to introduce electoral reforms.

He has noted that Prime Minister Imran Khan wants to hold Senate elections by open ballot, but the opposition is not backing him.

He claims, as a result, most of the PML-N senators did not want to vote for Yousaf Raza Gillani.

He said the government and the opposition must sit together because dialogue is the only solution to all problems and that the door is never closed in a democratic system.

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