Authorities on Saturday imposed prohibitory orders here in Pakistan's capital as jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party began nationwide protests against alleged rigging and stealing of its mandate in the recent elections. Criticising the outcome of the polls, which saw the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party-backed independent candidates emerging as the largest group by winning over 90 National Assembly seats, the PTI announced holding countrywide "peaceful protests" against what it termed "record-high rigging". The protests began with a march in Wana in South Waziristan of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The party has decided to sit in the Opposition in Parliament. "The PTI has called for country-wide protests against the unprecedented, massive, brazen rigging in general elections 2024, where PTI's win of 180 National Assembly seats and a two-thirds majority in the parliament, was cut down to half," the party said in a statement. "The 2024 elections would be remembered in t
Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party has decided to sit in the Opposition in Parliament while launching a countrywide protest against alleged rigging in the elections after its efforts to form the next government failed. The major political parties in Pakistan have stepped up efforts to form a federal government after the February 8 elections delivered a split verdict.
The meeting was postponed as the PML-N's committee has yet to consult on the matter with the party's senior leadership
Independent candidates - a majority backed by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) - won 93 of the 265 National Assembly seats that were contested in the February 8 election
This is the first time in its history that Pakistan's people have risen to vote against the Army and defeat it. If this isn't a win for democracy, how would you describe it?
Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party has expressed concern about the health of his wife Bushra Biwi and claimed that there was a "serious threat" to her life and the fascist regime in Pakistan was denying her medical aid. Bushra Biwi, 49, is imprisoned at Khan's Bani Gala residence here after an accountability court sentenced the couple to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana corruption case last month. Khan, 71, is lodged at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Both of them have been convicted with multiple years' sentences in the Toshakhana expensive gift case and the iddat case which declared their marriage as un-Islamic. Bushra has already petitioned Islamabad High Court on February 6 against authorities' move to declare her residence as sub-jail and requested to move her to the Adiala Jail citing potential security issues.
According to Dawn, the former CM expressed contentment with PML-N's performance in the February 8 elections, highlighting the party's victory in 10 provincial and five national seats in the province
Omar Ayub Khan, the PTI nominee for prime minister, said his first priority would be to release Imran Khan and other party leaders from jail
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused the US of not fulfilling responsibility against the anti-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) measures in Pakistan
Discussions were being held over the nomination of Salaar Khan Kakar as Balochistan CM, according to Dawn report
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced "peaceful" protests across the nation on February 17 against the alleged rigging in the general elections conducted on February 8
Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has suffered a blow as three independent members elected to Punjab's provincial assembly backed by it have joined a rival party in the politically important province. On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) managed to take eight more independent Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPA)-elect and one Member of the National Assembly (MNA)-elect, who are not backed by the PTI, on board, raising its tally in National Assembly to 80 seats and in Punjab Assembly to over 150. In Punjab, former three-time prime minister Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz has been nominated by the PML-N for the slot of chief minister. The three PTI-backed members Punjab Assembly joined hands with Aleem Khan's Istehkham-i-Pakistan Party (IPP). After the resignation of IPP patron-in-chief Jahangir Khan Tareen, Aleem is looking after the affairs of the party that was carved out of Khan's PTI in the wake of th
Jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's party on Wednesday alleged that its mandate has been stolen in the dark of the night after major political parties in the country decided to form a coalition government led by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif. In a surprise move, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday night nominated Shehbaz, 72. as the prime ministerial candidate instead of the party supremo and three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif. Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan said that Imran's mandate has been stolen in the dark of the night. In a post on X, Hasan said, Pakistan is being put on [the] road to further destabilisation. Referring to a possible coalition government led by the PML-N, he said, The decision to induct a bunch of criminals to form governments, who have been rejected by the people, reflects a myopic view of the grave challenges the country is beset with.
The White House has called for ensuring a transparent election process in Pakistan and said there is a need to respect the will of the Pakistani people. US President Joe Biden is aware of the elections in Pakistan, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference on Tuesday. "Obviously, the president is very much aware. Millions of Pakistanis turned out to vote last week, including record numbers of women, members of religious and ethnic minority groups, and young voters," Jean-Pierre said. "So certainly, we congratulate the Pakistani people for participating in last week's elections, including poll workers, civil society members, and journalists and election observers who have protected Pakistan's democratic and electoral institutions," she added.
Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party has established special committees to strategise the government formation at the Centre, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Participants during the party's core committee meeting agreed to early completion of the nomination process for important government and parliamentary positions according to the recommendations and strategies proposed by the committees, Dawn News cited a statement as saying on Monday.
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party will not join hands with rival PML-N or the PPP to form a coalition government and would sit in the opposition despite having a majority in the newly elected Parliament, party leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said. Independent candidates, mostly affiliated with Khan's PTI, secured the most parliamentary seats in last week's general election. However, PTI does not have enough seats in the 266-member National Assembly to form a government on its own. We don't feel comfortable with both (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party) of them. There will be no talks with anyone to make a government or to make a government together with them. It is better to sit in the opposition than to make a government [with them], but we think we have the majority, Gohar Khan told Dawn News. The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced that independent candidates, a majority of them supported by the PTI secured 101 seats, followed by ...
Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday withdrew from the race for the prime minister, saying that his party would support Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's candidate for the premier's slot without being part of the government. The decision of Bilawal came hours after Pakistan's former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reaffirmed that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif will become the prime minister for a record fourth time. Addressing a press conference after the meeting of Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) high-powered Central Executive Committee (CEC), held under his leadership, Bilawal said that his party failed to get a mandate to form a government in the federation.
No democracy can function and no government can be formed in Pakistan without jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, a senior party leader asserted on Tuesday as rival political parties were in talks to form a coalition government. Expressing astonishment at reports of a power-sharing formula being discussed between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party leader Latif Khosa described it as a joke that rival political parties were putting forward such a proposal. The 71-year-old jailed cricketer-turned-politician and PTI founder will have to be brought back, he said. Who are they - who have been rejected by the people - to divide among themselves... No Assembly or Parliament can function without Imran Khan. No democracy can function and no government can be formed with Imran Khan. "So rid yourself of the misunderstanding that by minusing Imran they will be able to operate a democracy or the government. You will hav
The Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), an alliance of armed pro-independence groups, claimed responsibility for 161 attacks in the 11 days leading up to the election, according to The Balochistan Post
The Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistan Peoples Party which won the third largest number of seats in the National Assembly in the elections appears to be split on whether to join a coalition government or sit on Opposition benches. The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the PPP which met in Islamabad to deliberate on the post-poll scenario and proposals regarding the coalition government has decided to reach out to all political parties, including the PTI-backed independents, for a possible power-sharing deal. Addressing a press conference after the CEC meeting on Monday night, Senator Sherry Rehman said, The PPP will approach all (political) parties, and a committee will be set up. The committee will be formed on Tuesday, while the CEC meeting which ended without reaching any final decision will also resume at 3 pm. A highly reliable source within the party said this was the main reason for the party's central executive committee which met on Monday.