Current Final

Tag: ECP

  • ECP issues schedule for senate polls set to take place on April 2

    ECP issues schedule for senate polls set to take place on April 2

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday issued a schedule of upcoming senate elections set to take place on April 2.

    As per schedule, the returning officers will issue a public notice for all prospective candidates to submit their nomination papers. The electoral body will then scrutinise nomination papers and handle appeals. 

    The development comes as the ECP, on Monday, announced holding the election for Senate seats that were vacated after the expiration of the six-year term of the incumbent senators on March 11. However, elections will only be held on 48 seats as four reserved seats for the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) have been abolished after the 25th Constitutional Amendment.

    Members of the Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Balochistan assemblies will vote to elect members for seven general seats, two women, and two seats for technocrats, including Ulema.

    However, Punjab and Sindh assembly members will cast their votes for one seat each for non-Muslims.

    As per the ECP’s schedule,

    March 15 to 16 — Submission of nomination papers.

    March 17 — Publication of nominated candidates.

    March 19 — Last date for scrutiny of nomination papers.

    March 21 — Last date for filing of appeals against acceptance, rejection of nominations.

    March 25 — Last date for disposal of appeals by the tribunal.

    March 26 — Publication of revised list of candidates.

    March 27 — Date for withdrawal of candidature.

    April 2 — Polling day.

  • ECP issues notice to Gandapur over disqualification petition in property case

    ECP issues notice to Gandapur over disqualification petition in property case

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sent a notice to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur after a petition was filed against him for misleading the commission about a piece of land, The News reported on Wednesday.

    Two members of the ECP bench, including Sindh Member Nisar Ahmad Durrani and Balochistan Member Shah Muhammad Jatoi, heard the plea and adjourned the hearing of the case till March 26.

    In a short order, the electoral authority decided to send a notification to newly-elected KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who won his provincial seat from Dera Ismail Khan.

    In his plea, Muhammad Kafeel — the petitioner — claimed that 735-kanals of land, situated in Mouzah Girah Muhabbat and Muzah Rohri, Kulachi, district DI Khan, was transferred in the name of Gandapur temporarily while Asif Khan was the real owner.   

    Muhammad Kafeel highlighted that Gandapur is not the actual owner of property and he was supposed to return the property back to actual owner on his demand.

    The petitioner said in liabilities forms furnished for the year 2020 and duly published, Gandapur had allegedly shown purchase of a Toyota Land Cruiser, YB-777 from the funds which he received from the sale of 735 kanal land. He also contended that on account of such wrong declaration, Gandapur was not qualified to hold the office of member provincial assembly.

    With the signatures of ECP Sindh member, the order said, “We have heard preliminary arguments which need consideration on merits. Office to issue notice to respondent No. 5 (Ali Amin Gandapur) for the date fixed through District Election Commissioner concerned. The service report of DEC shall reach to this office before the date fixed. Case to come up on 26.03.2024.”

  • SIC files petition in Sindh High Court for reserved seats

    SIC files petition in Sindh High Court for reserved seats

    The Sindh High Court (SHC) has on Friday accepted a plea filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) demanding the allocation of reserved seats for women and minorities in the province.

    The party, which was joined by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed independent candidates who had won the February 8 general elections to claim reserved seats, filed the plea today. 

    The court has decided to conduct a hearing urgently to assess the importance of the matter.

    On March 4, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said in its decision that SIC is not eligible to get reserved seats.

    After that, the party approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC) which extended the stay order on the oath-taking ceremony of lawmakers and summoned Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan to appear before the court on the next hearing.

  • PHC extends stay on reserved seats MNAs oath

    PHC extends stay on reserved seats MNAs oath

    The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has extended its stay order on the oath-taking ceremony of lawmakers notified on reserve seats, which were denied to the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) after a verdict to the effect issued by Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP).

    The court issued its order during a hearing of a petition filed by SIC, adjourning the hearing and summoning the Attorney General of Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, to appear before the court on the next hearing.

    A day earlier, the PHC barred the oath-taking of lawmakers notified on the aforementioned reserved seats, preventing members from swearing in and directed the ECP to submit its response in the said matter by today.  

    The directives were issued during today’s hearing conducted by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Shakeel Ahmad.

  • Akbar S Babar challenges fresh PTI’s intra-party polls in ECP

    Akbar S Babar challenges fresh PTI’s intra-party polls in ECP

    Disgruntled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding member Akbar S Babar filed two separate petitions with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to challenge the party’s intra-party elections for the second time.

    The Supreme Court (SC) on January 13 upheld the ECP’s verdict regarding the party’s intra-party elections as invalid, leading the party to lose its ‘bat’ electoral symbol.

    A five-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja declared the PTI’s internal polls unlawful.

    In the fresh petition, Babar has requested the ECP to declare the recent intra-party polls invalid too.

    PTI’s fresh intra-party elections were held on March 3.

    The beleaguered party’s federal election commissioner Raoof Hasan formally announced last Sunday that Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Omar Ayub Khan had been elected as the party’s chairman and secretary general unopposed, respectively, in the intra-party polls.

    Taking to journalists, Babar said that he moved the ECP against the “fresh fraud” of the PTI, adding that he was kept away from the intra-party elections.

  • Barrister Gohar Khan “removed” as PTI chairman over unsatisfactory performance

    Barrister Gohar Khan “removed” as PTI chairman over unsatisfactory performance

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat said on Friday that Barrister Gohar is not the chairman of PTI anymore as his performance was not satisfactory.

    Marwat announced the party’s decision a day after Barrister Gohar announced that the next party chairman will be Barrister Ali Zafar. However, PTI’s intraparty elections are scheduled to take place on March 3.

    The former ruling party’s top post had been lying vacant for more than a month after not only the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), but the Supreme Court also declared its intra-party elections unlawful and stripped the party of its iconic bat symbol. 

    Talking to Geo News, Marwat said: “Incompetence and poor performance are the reasons behind Gohar’s removal as chairman. Barrister Gohar is a gentleman, but his performance was not satisfactory.”

    The PTI leader also said that Barrister Gohar failed to meet the expectations of party workers.

  • Suspect involved in social media campaign against CJP Qazi Isa arrested

    Suspect involved in social media campaign against CJP Qazi Isa arrested

    Authorities have arrested a social media user suspected of being involved in a threatening campaign against Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Geo reports.


    Sources of The News identified the suspect as a social media user named Abdul Wasay, who lives in Rawalpindi. They said he used social media to run a “threatening campaign” against CJP Isa, where he threatened the chief justice and tried to damage his reputation.


    “The rest of the people involved in the campaign will be identified and legal action will be taken against them,” the sources claimed.
    The government has formed a joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate people who have been spreading harmful information on social media about Supreme Court judges, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and government officers.


    The JIT has been tasked to investigate mainly three specific points, according to a notification.


    “To ascertain facts behind malicious social media campaign attempting to malign the image of honourable judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, to identify and to bring the culprits to book in accordance with the relevant laws and cause presentation of challans in the courts concerned, and to recommend measures for prevention against the occurrence of such incidents in future,” read the notification.

  • Senator Mushtaq Ahmed demands resignation from Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Raja

    Senator Mushtaq Ahmed demands resignation from Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Raja

    Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmed has demanded that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja resign from his post as he didn’t fulfil his responsibility to conduct free and fair elections in the country.

    While addressing the senate, he said that the February 8 elections were fake and that they will not accept the fake government as the result of these rigged elections.

    Senator Mushtaq Ahmed then accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of committing treason and suggested that the electoral body should apologise to the nation for its actions.

    “Legal proceeding should be carried out against the CEC under Article 6 of the constitution, for the ECP was given Rs 50 billion from the national exchequer but it failed to hold transparent polls,” he alleged.

    The JI senator also said that the money wasted in the name of elections should be returned and a case should be lodged against CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja.

  • Salman Akram Raja’s request to show party affiliation rejected

    Salman Akram Raja’s request to show party affiliation rejected

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected the application of independent candidate Salman Akram Raja to declare his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Form 33, reports Geo.


    ECP passed a reserved decision on Salman Akram Raja’s request to declare his party on Form 33.


    Election Commission Deputy Director Law Saima Janjua announced the verdict.


    The Commission has said in its decision that Salman Akram Raja has been given the symbol of an independent candidate, but the party he belongs to cannot be given one.

  • More than 120 million people will vote on February 8, says Murtaza Solangi

    More than 120 million people will vote on February 8, says Murtaza Solangi

    The Caretaker Information Minister, Murtaza Solangi, said on Monday that over 120 million people will vote on February 8, as the general elections are scheduled on the same date.

    According to PTV, he passed the remarks while addressing a ceremony.

    Murtaza Solangi also said that the caretaker government helped the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to make the election process smooth.

    “Elections are just two days away,” he added. “People will choose their representatives by exercising their right to vote.”

    The information minister also said that according to the constitution, elected representatives will run the country.