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PTI To chAlleNge ecP’S PoSTPoNeMeNT of PUNjAb PollS IN APex coUrT TodAy ISLAMABAD
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staff report
AKISTAN Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday announced to file a petition in the Supreme Court today (Friday) against the electoral body’s decision of putting off elections in Punjab until October. In a surprising development on Wednesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delayed elections in the province until October 8 on the grounds that it could not conduct transparent and peaceful polls on the scheduled date of April 30. In an eight-page order, the ECP said that it could not hold the election “honestly, justly and fairly in a peaceful manner due to security threats [and] in the absence of funds” and being unable to provide “levelplaying field” to all political parties. It is worth mentioning that PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has been demanding ‘level-playing field’ for her party, saying that elections can only be held if Imran Khan is sent behind the bars and disqualified and that her father, Nawaz Sharif, is allowed to return to Pakistan and his disqualification verdict is overturned so as he is able to contest elections. Subsequently, the ECP withdrew its notification regarding the Punjab elections and postponed the voting for the provincial assembly until October 8, 2023, adding that a fresh election schedule would be announced in due course. “We have decided to challenge this decision legally and a petition will be filed tomorrow. Barrister Ali Zafar is working on the petition,” said PTI Sec-
retary General Asad Umar on Thursday. He was addressing a press conference in Lahore flanked by Fawad Chaudhry, the party’s senior vice president. In the petition, Umar said the party will plead to the apex court to set aside the ECP’s decision which is against the Constitution as well as Supreme Court’s verdict on Punjab and K-P polls. The PTI leader said they will request the top court to ensure that elections to Punjab Assembly are held on April 30, as per the schedule announced by the ECP earlier in line with court’s order. Speaking on the occasion, Fawad said the PTI was moving the apex court against the ECP’s “unconstitutional” move and added that as many as 96 lawyers’ bodies of the country including the Supreme Court Bar Association had also rejected the decision to postpone the Punjab polls. “PTI will fully support if any lawyers’ movement is launched against the
MoST shelves inquiry about illegal appointments at NMIP ISLAMABAD
ECP decision,” he added. The ECP order came at a time
when it has increasingly become clear that the polls in Punjab may not take place on the stipulated date, while the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governor has yet to give the timeframe for the assembly election due in the province. Surprising as it may seem, when all eyes were on the joint session of Parliament and a meeting of the federal cabinet on Wednesday, the ECP released its order, carrying its decision of delaying the elections in Punjab. In the federal cabinet meeting, the ministers opined that general elections should be held simultaneously across the country as neither was it possible to hold polls in only two provinces nor did the security and monetary situation favour them.
Aurangzeb: ECP made right decision in deferring Punjab polls islAmAbAd: Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb praised the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone general elections in Punjab, citing security concerns. According to Aurangzeb, the decision was made in accordance with Article 218 of the Constitution, which mandates that transparent, impartial, and fair elections be held. She noted that the commission had consulted with all stakeholders before reaching this conclusion. Aurangzeb emphasized that holding elections in two provinces on April 30 would have led to controversy and potentially caused a constitutional crisis, as it would have resulted in the assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ending six months earlier. She also suggested that some individuals had reservations about the election being imposed on two provinces because of one person’s ego, a veiled reference to former premier Imran Khan. The minister stressed the importance of political stability in the country and claimed that the decision had saved the country from potential instability. She said the Constitution cannot work at the will of one person and that breaking the Constitution and assembly whenever one wants would not be tolerated. staff report
President Alvi confers prestigious Hilal-i-Imtiaz on late Arif Nizami ISLAMABAD staff report
Ghulam abbas
Despite clear violation of set rules, findings and recommendations, Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has shelved report about illegal appointments and violations of rules in National Metrology Institute of Pakistan (NMIP), an attached department of the ministry, formerly known as National Physical and Standards Laboratory (NPSL). As per documents available with this scribe, the inquiry report submitted to Secretary MoST, has suggested criminal proceedings through FIA against existing acting Director General of NMIP Fozia Khan and others for acts of forgery, fabrication, destruction of evidence and for causing unlawful loss to the state. Interestingly, as per findings of the inquiry committee headed by former Joint Secretary/inquiry officer Hassan Ali Khan Laghari, irregularities and forgery have been found in the recruitment process of employees by NPSL, initiated in November 2021. The committee has also found that the number of posts has been increased without sanction, and the strength of NPSL. The number of posts (BS-1 to BS-15) advertised were 42 while 66 employees were recruited by the department later. While suggesting to examine the whole exercise of recruitment in BS01 to BS-15, the committee has specially highlighted a case of forgery, which has been committed in the case of appointment of Saad Hassan, an employee of NMIP (NPSL).
President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday conferred Pakistan’s prestigious Hilal-i-Imtiaz award on founding editor of daily Pakistan Today late Arif Nizami [October 1948–21] for his meritorious services in the field of journalism. The awards were conferred posthumously at an investiture ceremony held at the Aiwane-Sadr in Islamabad. The ceremony was attended by the cabinet members, diplomats and family members of the recipients of the awards. The award was received by the spouse of Arif Nizami. Mr Nizami, 72, was born to Hameed Nizami, the founder of Nawa-i-Waqt Group of newspapers, in Lahore in Oct 1948. Mr Nizami founded daily The Nation in 1986 and served as its founding editor until 2009. In August 2010, Mr Nizami founded daily Pakistan Today and served as its editor till 2021. He also served as caretaker
Minister for Information and Postal Service in year 2013. In 2015, Arif Nizami became CEO of Channel 24. He was also the host of a political talk show “Debate News Analysis”.
Mr Arif Nizami is also known for previously hosting a popular current affairs show on Samaa TV. He was also a host in 92 News Talk Show program “Ho Kya Raha Hai”.
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Zalmay Khalilzad urges civil-military leadership to change ‘disastrous’ course ISLAMABAD staff report
Despite the Foreign Office rejoinder, former US diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad continued to dwell on the current political situation in Pakistan as on Thursday he came up with another statement urging the country’s civil and military leadership to change the “disastrous” course. In a message on Twitter greeting Muslims around the world on the start of Ramazan, Khalilzad used the occasion to ask Islamic countries to reflect upon in the holy month. “In Pakistan, civil and military leaders might ponder the state of their country and the disastrous course it is on. In respect for their obligations and in the interest of their people, they should change course,” he wrote. This was his third statement in a week on the brewing political tensions in Pakistan. Many were taken by surprise the manner in which former US diplomat was taking keen interest in Pakistan politics and making specific proposals.
At UN, Pakistan’s envoy calls on community to keep flame of freedom alive NEW YORK staff report
In a message commemorating Pakistan Day, the nation’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram, called for support for his compatriots back home, particularly those who are marginalised and vulnerable. Akram paid tribute to Muhammad Ali Jinnah and all the leaders of the freedom movement who fought for the creation of Pakistan, saying: “We must keep the flame of freedom alive.” Acknowledging the plight of Kashmiri Muslims living under Indian occupation and the discrimination and violence faced by over 200 million Muslims in India, Ambassador Akram expressed gratitude for the freedoms enjoyed by Pakistanis in their sovereign and independent state. He credited the foresight and strength of Pakistan’s Founding Fathers for enabling the country to live in freedom, including the freedom to practice their faith and pursue their collective well-being. On this day, Akram urged his fellow Pakistanis to celebrate their successes and the strength of their country as the fifth largest in the world, a major military and nuclear weapon state, and a proponent of justice and equality across the world. However, he also called for deep introspection and remembrance of the wisdom and fortitude of their ancestors. In addition, Akram urged commitment to improving the conditions of all Pakistanis, especially the poor, disadvantaged, weak, and vulnerable.
No requirement in Pak program that interferes with polls: imF ISLAMABAD staff report
In an apparent snub to the federal government, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday made it clear that decisions regarding the constitutionality, feasibility and timing of provincial and general elections “rest solely with Pakistan’s institutions”, clarifying that there was “no requirement under Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility-supported programme which could interfere with the country’s ability to undertake constitutional activities”. The statement from the international monetary lender comes a day after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided to put off Punjab Assembly elections by more than five months, citing financial and security constraints. The ECP’s order detailed a meeting
held on March 9 wherein the Ministry of Finance secretary briefed the commission that “due to the paucity of funds and financial crunch, the country is facing an unprecedented economic crisis and it was under compulsion by IMF programme which has set targets for maintenance of fiscal discipline and deficit, and it would be difficult for [the] government to release funds now” for elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab and later down the line for Sindh, Balochistan and the National Assembly polls. The order also said that the Punjab chief secretary, in a meeting held on March 14, had said that “it shall not be possible for the provincial government to fund the elections”, citing various financial commitments as well as the IMF programme’s requirement that Punjab maintain a “cash surplus of Rs413/9 billion [sic]”.
Meanwhile, IMF Resident Representative for Pakistan Esther Perez Ruiz made a statementa suggesting that the targets under IMF-supported programmes are set at the aggregate general government level (aggregating across federal and provincial government), and within these there is fiscal space to allocate or reprioritise spending and/or raise additional revenues to ensure constitutional activities can take place as required. Cash-strapped Pakistan is in a race against time to implement measures to reach an agreement with the IMF. The agreement with the IMF on the completion of the ninth review of a $7bn loan programme — which has been delayed since late last year over a policy framework — would not only lead to a disbursement of $1.2bn but also unlock inflows from friendly countries.