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Sunday, 3 March, 2024 I 21 Sha’ban, 1445
PTI-SIC CANDIDATE RAISES OBJECTIONS AGAINST NOMINATION OF PML-N-LED COALITION’S CANDIDATE
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ISLAMABAD
RULES SAY A CANDIDATE REQUIRES 169 VOTES IN 336-MEMBER PARLIAMENT TO BE ELECTED AS PREMIER
STAFF REPORT
HE newly-stitched National Assembly is to set elect the Prime Minister on Sunday (tomorrow) as nomination papers of both the aspirants for the coveted post – Coalition parties candidate Shehbaz Sharif and PTI-SIC candidate Omar Ayub Khan – were cleared on Saturday. The coalition led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has named Shehbaz Sharif as its candidate for the coveted post for a second term while Omar Ayub Khan is vying as candidate of PTI-SIC for the post. According to rules, a candidate requires 169 votes in the 336-member parliament to be elected as the premier. Leaders of coalition parties including Khawaja Asif, Khurshid Shah, Attaullah Tarar and Tariq Bashir Cheema filed the nomination papers of Shehbaz Sharif. Whereas PTI leaders Asad Qaiser, Aamir Dogar, Ali Muhammad Khan, and Barrister Gohar Khan filed the nomination of Omar Ayub Khan. The nomination papers for the two candidates were received by SecretaryGeneral National Assembly Tahir Hussain. Later, the National Assembly Secretariat cleared nomination papers of both the candidates after scrutiny. Under the election rules, presence of proposers and endorsers during the scrutiny of nomination papers is mandatory. PM ELECTION PROCESS: The election for the PM would be conducted through the division of members
in the house. As per the Constitution, before the voting process begins for the slot of prime minister, bells will ring for five minutes inside the Parliament House to inform every member — in case they are not present in the chamber at the moment — to gather inside. Once the process begins, the doors will be locked, and no one will be allowed to enter or leave the hall till the PM’s election is concluded. For example, if there are two candidates, the speaker will say that ‘whoever wants to vote for candidate A can go to lobby A’ and ‘whoever wants to vote for candidate B, can go to lobby B’. If there are three candidates then there can be a lobby C as well. At the entrance of the said lobbies, a
Line-up clears up for ‘presidential battle’ as Zardari, Achakzai file nominations KARACHI/ISLAMABAD
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member of the assembly secretariat staff will record the name of every member of the National Assembly in the register. The whole process will be open and people sitting in the galleries will be able to see who votes for whom. The political parties have to vote collectively and every member has to vote for the candidate that their party is voting for. Section 91(4) of the Constitution states, “The Prime Minister shall be elected by the votes of the majority of the total membership of the National Assembly: Provided that, if no member secures such a majority in the first poll, a second poll shall be held between the members who secure the two highest numbers of votes in the first poll and the member who secures a majority of votes of the members present and voting shall
be declared to have been elected as Prime Minister: Provided further that, if the number of votes secured by two or more members securing the highest number of votes is equal, further poll shall be held between them until one of them secures a majority of votes of the members present and voting.” OMAR AYUB RAISES OBJECTION AGAINST SHEHBAZ’S PM CANDIDACY: Meanwhile, PTI-SIC candidate for prime minister, Omar Ayub Khan on Saturday officially raised objections against the nomination papers of PML-N-led coalition’s candidate for prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif. In a statement shared on social media, Ayub claimed that Sharif had acquired the constituency through manipulation of Form-47 on February 9, a day after the general election. “He had lost the constituency as per Form-45. He has been wrongly administered the oath as MNA and thus cannot be a candidate for the Prime Minister’s position,” maintained the PTI leader. Earlier on Friday, PML-N member Ayaz Sadiq was elected speaker of the National Assembly following election held on the basis of secret ballot and the results were announced by the outgoing speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf. According to results, Ayaz Sadiq obtained 199 votes while his rival PTI-SIC nominee Aamir Dogar got 91 votes. A total 291 votes were polled and one was rejected. After the election, Ayaz Sadiq went to Aamir Dogar and shook hands with him. He also shook hands with Hamid Raza and Omar Ayub Khan.
Fazl refuses to vote for Shehbaz Sharif for PM’s election ‘ANOTHER SNUB’
ISLAMABAD
MIAN ABRAR
STAFF REPORT
Nomination papers of former president and PPP cochairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai were filed on Saturday for the presidential election scheduled to be held on March 9. Asif Ali Zardari is the joint candidate of PPP-PML-N for the President’s slot and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah filed his nomination with the Sindh High Court Chief Justice on Saturday. The Sindh CM along with 30 MPAs, including Faryal Talpur, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Sharjeel Inaam Memon and others reached the Sindh High Court and submitted Asif Zardari’s nomination before SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Abbassi, who is the presiding officer for the presidential election. He has proposed while Syed Nasir Shah seconded the nomination papers of Asif Ali Zardari for presidential elections to be held on March 09, 2024. On the other hand, PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai has been nominated by the PTI-SIC-backed lawmakers and his nomination papers were filed for the presidential elections, which will be held on March 9. The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on Monday. Similarly, the nomination papers for both candidates were filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday. Farooq H. Naik and Saleem Mandviwala filed Zardari’s papers while PTI leaders – Ali Muhammad Khan, Sardar Latif Khosa and Omar Ayub Khan filed the papers for Achakzai before Chief Justice IHC Aamer Farooq – the presiding officer for the presidential elections. According to the ECP schedule, polling for the presidential election will be held on March 9 from 10 am to 4 pm, while candidates vying for the constitutional post of the country can submit their nomination papers until Saturday noon in Islamabad and four provincial capitals – Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.
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In a major snub, Jamiat Ulema-eIslam-Fazl (JUI-F) has refused to vote for the ruling coalition candidate, Shehbaz Sharif, for the election of Leader of the House (Prime Minister) in National Assembly. The refusal by the Maulana has triggered Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) to restart efforts to win over the support of Maulana Fazl. Hence, PTI-backed candidate for the slot of President, Mehmood Khan Achakzai has decided to meet the Maulana to win over his support for the opposition candidates.Sources privy to the development said that JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman flatly refused to support the ruling coalition for the election of the prime minister during his meeting with PML-N quaid Nawaz Sharif. The sources said that the Maulana also refused to another request by Nawaz Sharif to join the coalition government in Balochistan Province, saying that he would not be a part of the government formed with a ‘stolen mandate’. While confirming the development, PML-N’s Senator Irfan Siddiqui has said that even if Maulana Fazlur Rehman does not vote for Shehbaz Sharif in the prime minister’s election, his party would still want the JUI-F chief to support them in running the government. Siddiqui also
claimed that the PML-N’s coalition partner PPP would not only stand with them in the parliament but in the cabinet as well. It merits mention here that only a day after his coalition comrades rallied behind PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif for the top executive post in the country, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had tossed a political curveball, rejecting the “rigged” election results while extending an invitation to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to join him on the opposition benches instead of chasing government dreams. “We will not endorse Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister candidate in parliament, as our party has prohibited him from forming the government. Therefore, we will not be part of any government. Those who believe in the rigged nature of elections should
join our cause, while others can choose to remain indifferent.” Meanwhile, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman arrived in Karachi on Saturday to attend JUI-F Sindh’s meeting in Korangi on Sunday. According to Deputy Secretary Information JUI Sindh Maulana Samiul Haq Swati, the general secretary of the Sindh chapter of the party, Rashid Mehmood Soomro, and other leaders welcomed the chief who has arrived in the metropolitan on a three-day visit. Swati said that the “important” meeting tomorrow will include the members of all the districts of JUI Sindh where Fazl will give an important address regarding election rigging. Maulana Fazlur Rehman will give instructions to the officials of JUI Sindh, Swati said, adding that Fazl will also address a press conference.
19 dead as rain, snowfall continue to pummel parts of country ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR/KARACHI SALEEM JADOON
Heavy rain, coupled with snowfall continued to wreak havoc across the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and coastal areas of Balochistan and claimed least 19 lives, including children and women due to incidents of roof collapse and mudslides in KP province. In KP, Rescue Director General (DG) Peshawar confirmed that five children, a woman, and a man lost their lives, while five others sustained injuries in rain-related incidents in the Khyber district. Incidents of roof collapse were also reported in Peshawar, Lower Dir, and Bajaur, resulting in the unfortunate loss of human lives and livestock. The PDMA said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has been hit by heavy rain and snowfall, leading to widespread disruption and tragic loss of life. Landslides triggered by the weather conditions have disrupted routine life with road closure and power shutdowns. The provincial capital, Peshawar, experienced intermittent rain, causing flooding in lowlying areas and hindering daily life. Meanwhile, snowfall in the upper regions has led to road closures, further isolating these areas. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), efforts are underway to clear the blocked roads, but continuous snowfall is hampering progress. In Chatekal area of Swat’s Matta Tehsil, the bodies of four persons, including a woman and her son were recovered while search for three persons continued after 11 members of the same family were buried under the debris of their house collapsed due to a landslide fell from hillside in on Saturday. The rescue operation is going on for three people buried under the debris. According to police officials and the administration, heavy rains and snowfall have been continued in the valley for the past three days due to which landside from hillside fell on the house of one Dabal Khan, son of Sherin in village Chatikal. As a result, all 11 members of the family in the house were buried under the debris. As soon as information spread, the volunteers of AlKhidmat Foundation, including rescuers, police and local people, rushed to the site on foot despite road closure and started rescue operation. During the operation, the bodies of four people, including Khazna Bibi, wife of Dabal Khan, Zubair, son of Dabal Khan, Jawad, son of Bacha Zada and a minor girl Asma, daughter of Aseel Zada, were recovered while Saliha Bibi, wife of Aseel Zada, her daughter Maryam, Hussain, son of Dabal Khan and Izharullah, son of Aseelzada were rescued. The Al-Khidmat Foundation volunteers took the injured to Mata Hospital. According to the police, rescue activities are going on to search for the three other persons buried under the debris, including Khalida, wife of Aseel Zada, Salma, daughter of Aseel Zada and the head of the family, Dabal Khan, son of Sherin. Due to the night and heavy rain, the relief and rescue operations are facing severe difficulties. According to locals, the road was blocked due to heavy snowfall and the administration failed to clear despite availability of machinery and other tools. The PDMA said that Khyber district experienced a third consecutive day of rain and snowfall, causing low-lying areas to be inundated and residents facing considerable difficulties in daily activities. The adverse weather conditions are not confined to KP alone. From Lahore to Balochistan, Karachi, and the northern mountainous areas, the entire country is grappling with the repercussions of unpredictable weather patterns. Similarly, heavy rain caused the roof of a house to collapse in Bajaur Gakhi Kundu Mamond, tragically killing three children. Rescue teams responded swiftly and managed to pull the children from the debris, but unfortunately, all three were pronounced dead. Another incident occurred near Batkhela Khatke graveyard, where a house roof collapsed due to heavy rain. Five people were trapped under the debris, and although rescue teams managed to evacuate them to the hospital, two individuals, a woman and her 5-yearold daughter, succumbed to their injuries.
PTI holds countrywide protests against poll rigging amid police crackdown ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and supporters Saturday staged protest demonstrations against “rigging” in the February 8 general elections, across all the major cities amid clashes with the police. Despite having the biggest number of successful candidates in the polls, the Imran Khan-founded party had given a nationwide protest call against the “stolen” mandate. The former ruling party’s workers and lawyers are protesting in areas including, Shahdara, GPO Chowk at Mall Road, and outside the commissioner’s office in Lahore. During one of the demonstrations, the police baton-charged and arrested PTI workers, including Mian Shehzad Farooq. Pakistan staged the biggest election of its history earlier this month, which was extraordinary in various aspects. However, the outcome of the polls did not turn out to be as
expected by the political actors as none of them got a simple majority. Subsequently, many parties, the PTI, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, and Jamaat-eIslami, rejected the general elections. Over 90 independent candidates supported by the PTI won the elections, who, later joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to claim the seats reserved for female candidates and minorities. The party had decided to carry out protests amid heavy police deployment outside Lahore High Court (LHC), PTI’s office at Jail Road, and GPO Chowk, where the party spokesperson said the main protest was to take place. Earlier in the day, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Ali Nasir Rizvi visited GPO Chowk and PTI’s office at Jail Road, saying that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands. “We will take action against those who even touch a policeman’s uniform. We will
not allow anyone to destroy the peace of the city,” said DIG Rizvi. Meanwhile, workers belonging to the Insaf Lawyers Forum have also been protesting outside the LHC. During the protest, the police pushed them inside the court and locked the gate. On the other hand, PTI’s Sher Afzal Marwat, who was leading a rally from Peshawar to Islamabad, decided to change its route towards Rawalpindi. The rally would enter Islamabad from Purodhai to IJP Road in Rawalpindi. It reached Chungi No 4 after passing through Raja Bazaar and Fawwara Chowk. Speaking to the party workers, Marwat called for the release of Imran Khan and other incarcerated PTI leaders. “We will continue the campaign in courts, assemblies and on the roads till the release of PTI founder,” he said. The PTI spokesperson said that their “peaceful protests” were interrupted by state
machinery and law enforcement officials. “The people have taken to the streets to take back their stolen mandate,” he added. He said that “unconstitutional” obstacles in the way of protests show fear and cow-
ardice, adding that they will not accept the “rigged” elections through Form 47. The spokesperson said that the PTI will continue its struggle to claim its stolen mandate back.