ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election oversight body will today, Monday, scrutinize thousands of nomination papers filed by candidates last week for the upcoming national polls scheduled for Feb. 8.
Thousands of candidates across Pakistan rushed to file their nomination papers on Sunday as an extended deadline given by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit them expired on Dec. 24.
The returning officers will now scrutinize the papers from Dec. 25-30 during which they would either accept or reject the nominations. The ECP will allot election symbols to candidates on Jan. 13, with the polling date set for Feb. 8.
“Once the deadline ends, the ECP is set to conduct scrutiny of the nomination papers from Monday and continue it till Dec 30 as per the commission’s updated schedule,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said on Sunday.
Over 128 million electorates will be exercising their right to vote in the upcoming national polls for 266 national and 593 provincial assembly seats across Pakistan.
The exercise to submit nomination papers, however, was marred by allegations of pre-poll rigging by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The PTI has accused police of snatching their candidates’ nomination papers and carrying out raids at their homes to deter them from contesting the polls.
Khan, arguably the most popular politician in Pakistan currently, has been in jail since August after he was convicted by a Pakistani court in a case relating to the alleged illegal sale of state gifts during his tenure.
He was disqualified from holding public office and contesting elections for five years by the ECP after his conviction. Khan, who denies any wrongdoing, has blamed the powerful military, his political rivals, and the ECP for using unfair means to keep him and the PTI away from elections. All three strongly deny the allegations while the caretaker government has repeatedly said all political parties would be given an equal chance to contest elections.
After the deadline to submit nomination papers concluded on Sunday, the ECP issued a list of registered political parties throughout the country.
“The updated list no longer includes Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), as the head of the party, marking PTI as a leaderless political entity,” the APP said.
This was yet another blow to the party after the ECP ruled last week that the PTI could no longer retain its iconic bat symbol for the polls. The verdict was issued by the regulator after it declared the PTI’s intraparty elections “null and void.”
Political analysts have raised alarm over media reports of alleged pre-poll rigging, saying that a rigged election would not bring stability in the country.
“It is bad politics and bad optics,” political analyst Zebunnisa Burki told Arab News on Sunday. “If PTI loses these elections even genuinely, they would be justified in saying the elections were rigged based on these pre-poll rigging incidents.”
Pakistan’s election regulator begins scrutinizing nomination papers today for polls
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Pakistan’s election regulator begins scrutinizing nomination papers today for polls
- Returning officers will scrutinize papers from Dec. 25-30 to either accept or reject the nominations
- The ECP will allot election symbols to candidates on Jan. 13, with the polling date set for Feb. 8
Pakistan Navy tests missile, loitering munitions and unmanned vessel at Arabian Sea
- The exercise reflects growing focus on air defense and autonomous systems in modern warfare
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s navy conducted live firing of a surface-to-air missile, tested loitering munitions and carried out open-sea trials of an unmanned surface vessel during a major exercise in the North Arabian Sea on Saturday, highlighting a growing focus on air defense and unmanned warfare amid evolving regional security dynamics.
The exercise, which demonstrated both conventional and autonomous capabilities, comes at a time when Pakistan is increasingly emphasizing advanced technology and multi-domain operations following last year’s four-day conflict with nuclear-armed India, which reinforced the importance of air defense, surveillance and precision strike systems.
“Pakistan Navy demonstrated its operational readiness and combat preparedness through a comprehensive exercise in the North Arabian Sea, showcasing both conventional and unmanned capabilities, as per dictates of evolving naval warfare,” the Navy’s Directorate General Public Relations said in a statement.
“The exercise included the successful live firing of LY-80(N) Surface to Air Missile (SAM) from Vertical Launching System at extended range, validating the long-range capabilities of Pakistan Navy’s modern air defense systems,” it added. “LY-80(N) SAM successfully engaged and neutralized an aerial target, demonstrating Pakistan Navy’s robust air defense capabilities.”
The statement said the exercise also featured the successful engagement of surface targets using a loitering munition, which it said demonstrated the navy’s precision strike capability.
“Successful open-sea trials of Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) were also conducted, marking a significant leap in autonomous naval technology,” it continued. “The trials validated the platform’s ability to combine high-speed performance with mission-critical durability.”
Pakistan’s armed forces routinely hold large-scale exercises to enhance operational readiness, but recent drills have placed greater emphasis on emerging technologies, reflecting lessons drawn from modern conflicts.
Key capabilities demonstrated during the exercise included extreme maneuverability, precision navigation and weather resilience.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf commended officers and men of the Pakistan Navy for their professionalism and operational competence, reiterating the navy’s resolve to ensure the seaward defense of the country and safeguard its maritime interests.
