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ECP PUBLISHES PRELIMINARY DELIMITATION REPORT Thursday, 28 September, 2023 I 11 Rabi ul Awwal, 1445
Rs 15.00 | Vol XIV No 89 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARDS POLLS
g COMMISSION TO DECIDE ON REPRESENTATIONS SAYS REPRESENTATIONS TO PRELIMINARY CONSTITUENCIES CAN FROM OCT 28 TO NOV 26 AFTER HEARING BE MADE BY VOTERS TILL OCT 26 POSITIONS OF RESPECTIVE PARTIES
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ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
HE Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday published the lists of preliminary delimitation of constituencies, a step being seen as a significant development towards holding general elections in the country. In a press release issued here on Wednesday, the ECP said the report of preliminary delimitation, along with the lists (Form 5), has been uploaded on its official website for public display, adding that maps of the initial delimitation are also available on the website. “The publication of the preliminary constituencies will continue for 30 days from Sept 27 to Oct 26,” it said, highlighting that objections (representations) to the preliminary constituencies can be made by the voters of the concerned constituency. The representations, the ECP stated, should be addressed to the commission’s secretary and be submitted to the ECP Secretariat in Islamabad by Oct 27. “The ECP will take decisions on these representations from Oct 28 to Nov 26 after hearing the positions of from the respective parties,” the press release said. Under the original delimitation schedule issued by the ECP on Aug 17 — ten days after the notification of cen-
sus results — the initial delimitation exercise was to be completed on Oct 7 and preliminary proposals for delimitation along with the report were to be published on Oct 9. However, on Sept 1, the ECP had announced squeezing timelines of the delimitation exercise by 14 days to complete the process on Nov 30, instead of the scheduled Dec 14. The completion of the delimitation brings ECP closer to holding polls by the last week of January, as planned by the body. A specific date for the elections is yet to be announced. Listing the procedure of submitting the representations, the commission said it should be submitted by a voter of the
Imran Khan gained remarkable popularity, says Miftah ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Miftah Ismail, a prominent figure in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has acknowledged that Imran Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI), has gained remarkable popularity, surpassing other political leaders, as revealed in a recent opinion poll. Miftah, along with Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Mustafa Khokhar, who initially proposed the idea of “Reimagining Pakistan” seminars, is contemplating the formation of a new political party. While no official decision has been made yet, they are actively considering the possibility. Miftah disclosed that they conducted a public opinion survey in July of this year, which indicated Imran’s substantial lead in popularity. Abbasi’s discussions regarding his political future within the PML-N and the idea of a new political party are part of their strategic exploration before reaching a final verdict. Abbasi, Miftah, and Mustafa are engaging with various individuals and stimulating discussions on social and traditional media to gauge the feasibility of launching a new political entity. Among the trio, Khokhar appears to be more inclined toward founding the party, while the other two remain undecided. All three share the belief that the current political landscape allows for the emergence of a new political party. However, the key question is whether they can attract sufficient support to make it viable. To assess the landscape, they commissioned public opinion polls, which reinforced their conviction in the necessity of a new political party. They contend that a significant portion of voters who have shifted towards Imran Khan and the PTI, primarily due to their disillusionment with the PML-N, could potentially be drawn to a new political party. This is because staunch supporters of Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif are unlikely to support any other political party. The challenging situations faced by Imran Khan and the PTI after May 9 have created an opportunity for this new political party to attract voters, particularly those who aren’t die-hard PTI supporters. Among the trio, Khokhar left the PPP after expressing critical views of powerful factions within the party.
concerned constituency in the form of a “memorandum” and entail the signatures of the voter. It said eight copies of the representations and constituency maps were required to be submitted. It said the district maps can be obtained from the ECP for a “small fee”. “Representations by courier, post and fax etc. will not be accepted,” the commission added. PRELIMINARY REPORT OF DELIMITATION: Based on the initial delimitation, the population distribution in the National Assembly constituencies is as follows: Balochistan has 930,900 voters, followed by 913,052 voters in Sindh, 907,913 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 905,595 in Punjab, and 787,954 in Islamabad.
The National Assembly consists of 266 general seats and 60 seats reserved for women. Ten seats have also been reserved for non-Muslims. Punjab holds the majority of 141 seats in NA, followed by Sindh with 61, KP with 45, Balochistan with 16, and Islamabad with 3. In the provincial assembly constituencies, the figures show Punjab leads with a total population of 429,929, followed by Sindh with 428,432, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 355,270, and Balochistan with 292,047. As per the delimitation report, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the share of seats in the national and provincial assemblies have been worked out on the basis of the final results of the 2023 census. “The population of the province/area has been divided by the total number of general seats and the average population or quota per National Assembly seat was obtained. Similarly, the population of a province was divided by the total number of general seats allocated to the provincial assembly to obtain a quota per seat. “In calculating the total number of seats, a fraction of 0.5 and above was generally taken as one seat and a fraction below 0.5 was ignored. Due to the peculiar situation in Balochistan, more than one district has been clubbed. Similarly, few clubbings have also been made in other provinces where necessary,” it said.
Proposals for economic revival plan delayed for second time g
CABINET COMMITTEE YET TO FIRM UP PROPOSALS TWO WEEKS AFTER STIPULATED DEADLINE PROFIT
SHAHZAD PARACHA
Earlier this month, the caretaker Prime Minister had constituted a Cabinet Committee on Economic Revival (CCER) to deliberate on strategies and policies to revitalize the economy. The committee, under the chair of finance minister Shamshad Akhtar, was supposed to finalize a proposal within two weeks for the revival of the economy. However, almost four weeks later, the CCER has yet to firm up proposals under the economic revival plan. According to sources privy to the development, the cabinet panel could still not finalize the proposals despite conducting a meeting under the chair of finance minister Shamshad Akhtar on Monday. Since the committee is likely to propose budget cuts, reallocations, and relief plans, the delay exists because all the relevant ministries or divisions want maximum share of relief in the proposed recovery plan, as per sources. It has also been intimated that the proposal will be submitted to the federal cabinet later this week. In the ministries pushing for lenient treatment, caretaker commerce minister Dr Gohar Ijaz pushed for the provision of cheap electricity for exporters to meet current year’s export targets. Similarly, he also wanted the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to issue refunds to exporters so the business community could reinvest. On the other hand, the energy minister Muhammad Ali has proposed different options including curtailing circular debt and line losses. Contrary to Dr. Gohar Ijaz’s suggestions, he opposed any kind of subsidy for exporters. During the meeting, the caretaker minister of Railway, Maritime Affairs and Communication, Shahid Ashraf Tarrar advised the CCER to deliberate on the sudden mushroom growth of acquiring agricultural land and converting it into real estate projects. He said that the public-private partnership mechanism could be helpful in enhancing the performance of Pakistan Railways. The Minister for IT, Telecommunication and Science & Technology also highlighted hurdles in the context of FBR regulations, tax anomalies and SBP procedures for the IT industry.
Sikh activists’ killing result of rising Hindutva ideology Pemra follows in IB’s induced terrorism: PM footsteps, withdraws
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plea against Faizabad sit-in case
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Wednesday said that the murder of Sikh activists is the result of growing state-sponsored terrorism under the Hindutva ideology being pursued by the BJP’s Narendra Modiled Indian government. Interacting with the media persons in London, the Prime Minister said Pakistan remained a victim of the Indian state-sponsored terrorism especially the Balochistan has been heavily affected due to the terrorism of India. He said now other nations are also suffering due to the nefarious designs of India. Anwaarul Haq Kakar while highlighting the plight of minorities in India expressed dismay that the Muslims, Sikhs and Christians cannot live in India as fully qualified citizens. He said several movements such as Cow Vigilante groups are being encouraged in India to suppress the minorities. ‘Nijjar’s brutal murder unmasked real face of India’ The real face of Narendra Modi’s India has been internationally unmasked after the assassination of Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, by India’s notorious intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) in Canada. According to Kashmir Media Service, the Canadian Prime Min-
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
ister, Justin Trudeau’s announcement that the agents of Indian government were involved in the Sikh leader’s killing has exposed the Indian state-sponsored terrorism in other countries. The Canadian Sikh leader’s killing by the Indian spies has called into question New Delhi’s reliability as a credible international partner. Modi regime has clearly violated international law by assassinating Hardeep Singh Nijjar on the Canadian soil. After conducting terrorism in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan, India has now been caught violating sovereignty of Canada. Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder in Canada vindicates that India under Modi has become a rogue Hindutva terrorist state. India under fascist Modi through its rogue actions and state sponsored terrorism is posing a serious threat to the regional as well
as international stability. Political experts and analysts say that India has long been financing, planning and carrying out terror acts in Pakistan. After his arrest, Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav had made startling disclosures about New Delhi’s involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan, they say. Pakistan has not only provided the world irrefutable evidence of Indian terrorism in Pakistan but has time and again warned about India’s destabilizing role in South Asia. The world community must not let Modi government to run away from facing persecution in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. It should realize that RSSbacked Modi regime is a threat to entire humanity and this is the time to check its fascist mindset before it claims more lives across the world.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Wednesday filed an application in the Supreme Court to withdraw its civil review petition against the Faizabad sit-in case. Chairman PEMRA Muhammad Saleem Baig filed the application in the apex court through advocate Muhammad Sharif Janjua to seek permission for the withdrawal of a petition against the Faizabad sit-in case – one day before its hearing in the court. The civil review petition by PEMRA against the controversial case was fixed for hearing on September 28, as per the final cause list. The petitioner prayed to the court that the civil review petition filed on behalf of PEMRA may be withdrawn as the client did not want to pursue the matter anymore. PEMRA’s move came a day after the Intelligence Bureau (IB) moved SC for the withdrawal of its review petition against the judgment delivered in the Faizabad sit-in case over four years ago, also stating that it did not want to pursue the case anymore. IB’s withdrawal application came just two days before the hearing of the review petitions by a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah. At least eight review petitions were filed against the Faizabad Dharna case judgment on Feb 6, 2019. FAIZABAD SIT-IN CASE: The TLP started its protest on Nov 8, 2017, and set up a camp at the Faizabad Interchange, contesting changes in the Elections Bill 2017 in which the word oath was changed to declaration. The protesters demanded the resignation of then law minister Zahid Hamid. Hamid stepped down on Nov 27, 2017. The protests paralysed daily life in the twin cities for 20 days albeit without any violence.
Senate panel calls on foreign ministry, AGP to clarify concerns raised by US regarding Iran-Pak gas pipeline ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat has taken the step of summoning both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP). This summons is in response to the need for these government bodies to provide a comprehensive briefing to the committee. Specifically, the committee seeks to gain insights into the objections that have allegedly been raised by the United States concerning the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project, which is a significant multi-billion-dollar initiative. Tehran has been claiming to have completed its side of the 1,150-kilometre pipeline for which a groundbreaking ceremony was jointly conducted by then presi-
dents Asif Ali Zardari and Dr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the Iranian site of Gabd, near Chahbahar in March 2013 with an estimated cost of $7.5bn at the time. Pakistan had committed to complete its side of the project by January 2015. However, in February 2014 then petroleum minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told the parliament that the Iran-Pakistan project was “off the table” due to international sanctions. Earlier this year, former petroleum minister Musadik Malik explained that despite being fully committed to its contractual obligations under the Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement (GSPA), the Government of Pakistan had been unable to start construction of the pipeline due to US sanctions on Iran. Officials said Pakistan had requested Washington earlier this year for a solu-
tion for the project to help overcome energy shortages but had not yet received any response. In August, Pakistan issued a notice of ‘Force Majeure and Excusing Event’ to Iran to suspend its contractual obligation on completion of the gas pipeline. Simply put, Pakistan had expressed its inability to pursue the project as long as US sanctions on Iran remain in place or Washington tacitly green lights Islamabad to go ahead with the project. The matter came under discussion today during the Senate panel today. Petroleum Additional Secretary Hassan Yousafzai briefed the committee that a deadline for 2024 had been given by Iran regarding the completion of the gas pipeline and failure to meet it would lead to fines.
“We are trying to renegotiate the matter with Iran,” he said, adding that efforts were being made to find out other ways of obtaining gas. The secretary further expressed concerns that Pakistan could be subject to “liabilities of $20 billion”. The issue, he went on to say, was also raised with the US. “Laying the gas pipeline till Gwadar will cost us $2bn,” he told the panel, adding that reneging on the deal with Iran could lead to a whopping $18bn penalty. Commenting on the matter, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed called for summoning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to “find out why can’t we purchase cheap gas from the neighbouring country”. “We should know the reason behind the obstruction,” he said.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Senate committee, Sadia Abbasi, highlighted that India never faced such restrictions. “How was the agreement even signed amid these restrictions?” she asked. Here, PPP Senator Waqar Mehdi said the agreement was signed under the government of ex-president Zardari. The Iranian pipeline was aimed to supply 750 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) of gas, although it was vehemently opposed publicly and diplomatically by the US authorities, particularly when Pakistan and Iran signed framework agreements and GSPA in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Pakistan signed the pipeline agreement in 2014, which included a condition that Islamabad will pay billions of dollars in penalties if it abandons the project.