Page 71 - Pakistan

Army in control

Pakistan's political chaos is likely to continue

Pakistan polls: MQM-P denies discussions with PML-N on forming next govt

MQM-Pakistan Convener, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the polls have created a challenging situation in Pakistan and stressed that all parties must play their part in moving the country out of crisis

Pakistan former PM Imran Khan's party says it aims to form government

Gohar Khan, the chairman of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) party who also acts as the former prime minister's lawyer, called on "all institutions" in Pakistan to respect his party's mandate

Jailed ex-Pak PM Imran Khan gets bail in military installation attack cases

The court said there was no justification to keep Khan, 71, under arrest as all accused in May 9 cases were on bail

My govt would try to improve ties with neighbouring countries: Nawaz Sharif

In an indirect goodwill message to India, Pakistan's former premier Nawaz Sharif on Friday said that his government would try to improve relations with the neighbouring countries. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) technically emerged the single largest party in the National Assembly despite the fact that the number of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supported independent candidates was higher than any political party. "We would improve ties with the world and with our neighbours and try to solve all issues with them (neighbours)," the 74-year-old former three-time premier said. He asked his supporters if they agree with his point of view (regarding ties with neighbours), and hundreds of supporters present to hear him apparently backed him with a roar. While Sharif stopped mentioning India directly in his speech, the use of word "neighbours" could hardly be missed as Sharif in his previous tenures also tried to mend ties with India. However, terror attacks on Indian defence ..

Pakistan's former PM Nawaz Sharif claims election win, seeks coalition

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif Friday called for a unity government as the cash-strapped Pakistan appeared to be heading towards a hung parliament, with independent candidates backed by jailed ex-premier Imran Khan's party springing a surprise by winning 92 out of the 224 seats for which results were declared so far. Addressing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supporters at the party's central secretariat in Lahore, 74-year-old Sharif said his party respects the mandate of all parties, including the independent candidates backed by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. According to the latest Election Commission data, results of 224 constituencies out of 265 were declared. Independent candidates (mostly supported by PTI) bagged 92 seats while PML-N got 63 and PPP 50. Smaller parties secured 19 seats. To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 in the National Assembly. Election to one seat was postponed after the death of a candidate. Overall, 169 seats

Pakistan Elections 2024: Important candidates and their position on India

Pakistan is gearing up for its general elections on February 8, following a period marked by political upheaval, economic challenges, and judicial controversies.

Pakistan Election 2024 Results: Pakistani stocks plunge amid tight race

PSE's benchmark KSE-100 index fell 1,700 points in early morning trade on Friday amid delays in the declaration of results and political uncertainty

Delay in poll results due to 'lack of communication': Pak interior ministry

The unusual delay in announcing the results of the just-concluded election in Pakistan was due to a "lack of communication", which was a result of preventive measures taken to ensure foolproof security, the interior ministry said on Friday. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the first results of the 2024 polls in the early hours of Friday, more than 10 hours after voting ended amid allegations of rigging, sporadic violence and a countrywide mobile phone shutdown. The delay in election results is due to "lack of communication, which was a result of preventive measures taken to ensure foolproof security, the ministry said in a post on X. The ministry added that the media and the public's concerns about the late processing of the results have been reviewed. The delay was assessed and the situation is now satisfactory, it said.

Pakistan Elections: Taliban took over polling station, claims candidate

Pakistan Elections 2024: Taliban took over polling station, claims election candidate Mohsin Dawar. Other candidates have reported violence in various parts of the country. Watch the video to know mor

Pak poll results delayed, Imran Khan's party claims win in first results

This will be "probably the biggest election upset in Pakistan's political history in the last 50 years," said Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a senator with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz

Pakistan elections: Results for 12 seats announced, parties neck and neck

By early Friday morning, the ECP had announced results for 12 of the 265 contested seats in parliament on its website

Pakistan general elections: At least 12 people killed in 51 terror attacks

In a statement, the ISPR said as many as 12 people, including 10 personnel from security forces and law enforcement agencies, were killed and 39 others injured in these attacks

Vote counting begins in Pakistan, clear picture expected early Friday

Counting of votes began in Pakistan following conclusion of the polling on Thursday in an election marred by crackdown on jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan's party, sporadic violence and connectivity issues after the government suspended mobile and internet services to foil suspected terror attacks. The polling started at 8.00 AM and continued without any break till 5.00 PM. A countrywide public holiday was declared to enable more than 12 crore voters to cast their ballots. The time for voting ended but the people present inside the premises of the polling stations were allowed to cast their votes. The polling percentage is not yet known. The results of individual polling stations have started to pour in from across the country after the mandatory one hour restriction elapsed. But it may take a couple of hours before the complete result of any constituency is available. In total 266 National Assembly seats were up for grabs out of 336, but polling was postponed on at least one sea

Voting concludes across Pakistan in election marred by sporadic violence

Voting concluded across Pakistan on Thursday in an election marred by sporadic violence and connectivity issues after the government suspended mobile and internet services to foil terror attacks. The polling started at 8.00 AM and continued without any break till 5.00 PM. A countrywide public holiday was declared to enable a total of 128,585,760 registered voters to cast their ballots. The time for voting ended but the people present inside the premises of the polling stations were allowed to cast their votes. There were reports of voting process facing delays at certain polling stations across the country and at least one terror attack on security forces performing election duties that killed four policemen. The ballot boxes would be unsealed in the presence of the agents of various candidates present inside the polling stations, and counting would be done in the supervision of the presiding officer of each polling station. The presiding officer would prepare the result and annou

Pak's CEC assures mobile service suspension cannot hamper agency's work

Amid the suspension of mobile services in Pakistan due to the deteriorating security situation, Pakistan's Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on Thursday said its Election Management System is not dependent on the Internet and its work will not be affected due to it. Polling for the general elections started at 8.00 am and will continue without any break till 5.00 PM when a total of 128,585,760 registered voters are eligible to cast their votes. Even when the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had earlier said that internet services would remain functional on the voting day, twin terror attacks that killed at least 30 people prompted the caretaker government to suspend the mobile services due to the deteriorating security situation. Speaking with media persons soon after the polling began, CEC Raja told media persons, Our system is not dependent on it (mobile services). Our system is not independent of the Internet, we have clarified it earlier too. There will

Pak's Ex-PM Imran Khan votes by postal ballot, wife Bushra Bibi misses out

Pakistan's Former prime minister Imran Khan and other prominent incarcerated political figures have cast their votes through postal ballot from jail, according to a media report on Thursday. However, Bushra Bibi, Khan's wife, was unable to participate in the voting as she was convicted and arrested after the completion of the postal voting process, Dawn News reported. Political leaders who have managed to vote by mail included former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid, and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, the report quoted Adiala Jail sources as saying on Wednesday. Overall, fewer than 100 prisoners of Adiala Jail were able to vote, constituting only about one per cent of the prison's 7,000 inmates. Sources said the jail administration allowed only those inmates to cast their votes who had valid computerised national identity cards (CNICs), and the reason for a low turnout was

No govt instructions to block internet during polls: Pakistan telecom body

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has said that internet services will remain functional on Thursday as the people are voting to elect a new government. The PTA in a statement on Wednesday said it had not yet received any instructions from the government to shut internet and that services would work without any interruption on Thursday. Pakistanis on Thursday began voting in the general elections to elect a new government to rule the cash-strapped country. The polling started at 8.00 AM and will continue without any break till 5.00 PM. A countrywide public holiday has been declared to enable a total of 128,585,760 registered voters to cast their votes. The authority's statement came a day after caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz on Tuesday hinted at the possible suspension of internet services in case of security issues in any area on election day. Many non-governmental organisations, including Amnesty International, had called for uninterrupted internet access ac

Pak temporarily suspends mobile services as voting begins for general polls

Pakistanis on Thursday began voting in the general elections to elect a new government to rule the cash-strapped country amid speculation that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N may emerge as the largest party in Parliament as it is backed by the powerful military. The polling started at 8.00 AM and will continue without any break till 5.00 PM. A countrywide public holiday has been declared to enable a total of 128,585,760 registered voters to cast their votes. The counting will start soon after the conclusion of the voting. Nearly 650,000 security personnel have been deployed across the country as more than 12.85 crore registered voters will cast their ballots at 90,000 polling stations. Pakistan has decided to temporarily suspend the mobile service due to the threat of militancy. With former prime minister Imran Khan in jail, Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is tipped to emerge as the single largest party in the elections.

Twin blasts targeting election offices kill 30 in Pakistan's Balochistan

At least 25 people were killed and 42 others injured on Wednesday in two devastating bomb blasts targeting election offices in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, a day before the general elections in the coup-prone country. In the first incident, a powerful blast outside the office of independent candidate Asfandyar Khan Kakar in Pishin district killed 17 people and wounded 30 others. Less than an hour later, another bomb blast took place outside the election office of a Jamiat-Ulema Islam-Pakistan in the Killa Abdullah area claiming the lives of eight people and injuring 12 others. Abdullah Zehri, a senior police official in Balochistan Panjgur, said that the blast outside the election office of candidate Asfandyar Khan Kakar was detonated remotely and was placed in a bag outside the building. The condition of some of the injured is critical and they have been rushed to Quetta for treatment, he said. He said so far the body count from the blast was 17 but the casualties cou