ISLAMABAD: Various Pakistani political parties on Wednesday urged the country’s election regulator to announce the date for upcoming polls, and ensure a “level-playing field” is provided to all contestants taking part in the exercise as Pakistan heads toward general elections.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced in September that it would conduct polls in the last week of January. Elections were supposed to be held in the country in November, 90 days after the previous government dissolved assemblies in August. However, the election commission said it needed more time to redraw constituencies following the results of the latest population census.
Representatives of Pakistan’s major political parties held an hours-long meeting with ECP officials on Wednesday to finalize a code of conduct for parties to abide by during the polls. Members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the Awami National Party (ANP) attended the meeting.
“We have demanded the election commission announce a date for polls,” senior ANP leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain told media after the meeting. “There are still doubts about elections, the election commission has yet to fix a specific date for polls.”
JI leader Farid Paracha suggested the ECP should conduct polls in December, urging it to wrap up the process of delimiting constituencies as early as possible. “It is the responsibility of the election commission to hold free and fair elections,” he said.
Khan’s PTI party, which had a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, has voiced fears the army and ECP would resort to unfair means in the upcoming elections to rig elections in favor of his political opponents. The military and ECP have denied the allegations while Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has assured that all parties would be provided a “level-playing field” when polls are held.
“We have shared our reservations over the level-playing field (issue) with the election commission,” PTI member Barrister Ali Zafar said. “The ECP has noted our points and ensured they will address it.”
PPP leader Nayyar Hussain Bokhari said the ECP had assured political parties that their recommendations would be included in the final code of conduct. “The chief election commissioner has assured to hold the elections in time,” he said.
According to the draft code of conduct, political parties, contestants, and election agents “shall not propagate any opinion, or act in any manner prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan, or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or morality or public order, or the integrity or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule any Government institution including the judiciary and the Armed Forces of Pakistan.”
The ECP’s code of conduct makes it mandatory for all parties to follow it for the “smooth conduct” of elections and the maintenance of public order. It also prohibits “maligning” the Election Commission.
Another clause bans billboards, wall chalking, and the use of panaflexes of any size. Violations would be treated as an illegal practice, according to the code.
The ECP said it had discussed various suggestions by political parties during the meeting and promised to include the amendments in the final code of conduct.
“The election commission will ensure strict implementation of the code of conduct during the general elections to hold free and fair elections,” the ECP said in a statement.
Pakistan’s political parties urge election regulator to announce date for polls
https://arab.news/6s3pn
Pakistan’s political parties urge election regulator to announce date for polls
- Representatives of major political parties hold discussions with ECP on code of conduct for polls
- Pakistan’s election regulator vows to include suggestions put forth by parties in code of conduct
‘Enough is enough’: Ex-PM Khan asks supporters to wait for his call for street agitation from prison
‘Enough is enough’: Ex-PM Khan asks supporters to wait for his call for street agitation from prison
- Khan says the attack on his party’s information secretary reflects the government wants to quell dissenting voices
- He says his party has remained silent despite ‘political persecution’ but will no longer tolerate being targeted
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday instructed supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to wait for his call for street agitation following an attack on one of its leaders and central information secretary Raoof Hassan outside the office of a private news channel earlier this week.
Hassan, who was roughed up by a group of unidentified transgender individuals on Tuesday, received a gash on his face when one of his attackers wielded a blade against him while others knocked him to the ground. The PTI described the incident as a bid on his life and accused the Islamabad Police of tampering with the complaint by omitting the terrorism charge mentioned in it.
As PTI leaders hinted at the possibility of the attack being carefully orchestrated for political reasons, the top Islamabad police official, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, announced the formation of a three-member special investigation team to probe the incident.
Reacting to the development, Khan, who has been in jail since his arrest last year in August, said his party was facing “political persecution” and would no longer tolerate it.
“During past two darkest years in Pakistan’s history, PTI’s political persecution was carried on with complete impunity,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We were subjected to the prohibited war tool of collective punishment — our houses trespassed, our people killed and tortured, our businesses destroyed, even the elderly and children were not spared. For the sake of Pakistan, we have been very patient so far. But ENOUGH IS ENOUGH NOW!! The heinous attack on Rauf Hassan is very instigating and further demonstrates that the powerful are unwilling to accept dissent, preferring to resort to cowardly tactics rather than addressing the underlying problems.”
“I instruct all of you— my central party leadership, central, provincial and local party organization, members, workers, supporters and the common man to wait for my street agitation call,” he added.
Khan said he had repeatedly said it was not possible to reach economic stability without first working for political stability in the country.
He maintained the last two years had witnessed the worsening of the economic conditions of the common man since the ouster of his administration from power in a no-trust vote in April 2022.
The PTI has said it has been facing a state crackdown, especially after May 9, 2023, when riots broke out after Khan’s brief incarceration from an Islamabad court on graft charges.
Pakistan plans $6.7 billion railway upgrade and dry port development project under CPEC
- Planning ministry says the project will create high-speed transportation corridors connecting regional partners
- The original railway tracks were built in late 19th century and were designed for low speeds and lesser axle loads
KARACHI: A key Pakistani committee operating under the planning ministry on Wednesday presented a modified project proposal for the upgrade of Pakistan Railways’ existing Main Line (ML-1) and the establishment of a dry port at a cost of $6.7 billion to the top economic oversight body for approval.
The ML-1 railway upgrade is among the biggest projects under the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), involving the rehabilitation and upgrading of the railway tracks from Karachi to Peshawar.
It is also viewed as a cornerstone of the CPEC initiative due to its scale and the significant impact it is expected to have on Pakistan’s infrastructure and regional economic connectivity.
According to a statement released by Pakistan’s planning ministry, the Central Development Working Party, which evaluates socio-economic development projects, presented a new document on ML-1 to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) as Pakistan and China discuss the second phase of CPEC.
“The [ML-1] project is proposed to be financed through foreign funding under the CPEC framework agreement,” said the statement circulated by the ministry. “Pakistan Railways infrastructure is more than a century old and has outlived its useful life.”
“The original track which was built in late 19th century and early 20th century had been designed for low speeds and lesser axle loads which do not commensurate with the present-day loading patterns and desired speeds,” it added. “The Government of Pakistan aims to build necessary logistics facilities to support GDP growth and, in this regard, it intends to up-grade and modernize Pakistan Railways Network.”
The ministry said Pakistan Railways had become a financial burden on the national exchequer, adding that the $6.7 billion project could also make it a more financially and socially viable organization.
It maintained the project could ensure reduction in transportation costs, safety in mobility and effective connectivity between rural areas and markets in urban centers.
Additionally, it would integrate road and rail networks among various economic hubs, including air, sea and dry ports, while creating high-speed and -capacity transportation corridors connecting major regional trading partners.
“To achieve the government’s objective, a major up-gradation of the railway system has been planned, including increasing speed of passenger and freight trains, doubling of tracks of the main line sections, and increasing line capacity so as to facilitate rail linkages to Central Asian States, China and other neighboring countries,” it said.
Pakistan PM to travel to UAE today amid push for foreign investment
- PM Sharif to meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, says foreign office
- Both personalities to discuss bilateral relations with “special focus” on trade and investment
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today, Thursday, with a high-level delegation to discuss bilateral relations, trade and investment, the foreign office said, as Pakistan eyes foreign investment whilst navigating a tricky path to economic recovery.
Sharif’s will take place amid a flurry of high-level engagements in recent weeks with business and diplomatic delegations from Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Japan and Qatar visiting Pakistan to discuss trade and investment in the South Asian country’s vital economic sectors.
Reeling from high inflation, low forex reserves and an unstable currency, PM Sharif has vowed to rid Pakistan of its economic crisis by enhancing bilateral trade with allies and attracting foreign investment.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will pay a visit to the United Arab Emirates on 23 May 2024,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement. “The Prime Minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising key ministers of the cabinet.”
Sharif will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss bilateral relations “with a special focus on trade and investment,” the foreign office said.
“Prime Minister Sharif is also likely to hold meetings with other Emirati dignitaries, businesspersons, and heads of financial institutions,” the statement said.
“The Prime Minister’s visit marks an important step toward further deepening multifaceted bilateral collaboration between Pakistan and the UAE.”
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner, after China and the United States. Policymakers in Pakistan consider the Gulf state an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.
The Gulf country is also home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates and the second-largest source of remittances to the South Asian country, after Saudi Arabia.
US returns 133 stolen artifacts to Pakistan valued at $13 million
- illegal antiquities trade is a multi-billion-dollar global industry, as per a 2018 report by Standard Chartered
- This marks fifth such transfer between US and Pakistan, from where artifacts dating to Gandhara period were stolen
ISLAMABAD: The United States this week returned 133 pieces of stolen antiquities valued over $13 million to Pakistan, state-run media reported, marking the fifth such transfer to the South Asian country from where artifacts dating back to the Gandhara period were stolen.
Artifacts are man-made objects, such as pieces of art or tools, that are of particular cultural, historical, or archaeological interest.
The illegal antiquities trade is a multi-billion-dollar global industry according to a 2018 report by Standard Chartered Bank. The trade is also often a major funding source for criminal and militant groups on the supply side, according to a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
“The United States returned to Pakistan 133 pieces of stolen antiquities worth over $13 million at a ceremony at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in New York on Tuesday,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
Some of the antiquities were displayed during the ceremony at which Pakistani Consul General in New York Aamer Ahmed Atozai said the artifacts would adorn museums across Pakistan.
“The consul general also signed an agreement with the Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, Matthew Bogdanos, who heads the Antiquities Trafficking Unit for the repatriation of the returned artifacts to Pakistan,” APP said.
Bogdanos said he was delighted to return “glorious pieces of Pakistani heritage” to the country whose civilization dates back to 5,000 years, APP said.
Pakistan and the US regularly collaborate to return stolen artifacts to Pakistan. In 2021, the US, after conducting a probe into an Indian-American art dealer Shubash Kapoor, had returned 192 stolen antiquities worth around $3.4 million.
In August 2022, the US again returned 104 artifacts valued at $3.3 million to Pakistan that were among thousands of antiquities looted from Asian countries and seized from Kapoor.
Rain washes out England-Pakistan T20 opener
- Match was supposed to be launchpad for England’s defense next month of T20 World Cup title
- Both teams will now meet each other on Saturday at Edgbaston in second of four-match series
Leeds, United Kingdom: Persistent rain saw the first Twenty20 international between England and Pakistan at Headingley on Wednesday abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The match was meant to be the launchpad for reigning champions England’s defense next month of their T20 World Cup title in the Caribbean and the United States.
But a heavy and lengthy downpour in Leeds led the umpires to call the game off approximately an hour before the scheduled 17:30 GMT start.
The four-match series against Pakistan, the team England beat to win the 2022 T20 World Cup final in Melbourne, will now continue at Birmingham’s Edgbaston ground on Saturday before games next week in Cardiff and at the Oval.
England were also the defending champions heading into last year’s 50-over World Cup in India but Jos Buttler’s men suffered a tame exit, losing six of their nine matches.
The Pakistan T20 series could see the return to international duty of England fast bowler Jofra Archer. Injuries have blighted the quick’s career, with elbow and back problems sidelining the 29-year-old from top-level cricket for 14 months.
