ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election oversight body has started receiving appeals from candidates against acceptance or rejection of nominations for the 2024 national elections, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday.
The Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) deadline to file nominations expired on Dec. 24, with 28,626 candidates submitting their nominations for national and provincial assembly elections. It was followed by the process of scrutiny of nominations by election officials till Dec. 30.
The process of receiving appeals from the candidates would continue till January 3 and decisions on these appeals would be made by January 10, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers for general elections 2024 are being received from today and process will continue till Wednesday,” the report read.
A preliminary list of candidates will be displayed on January 11 and candidates would be able to withdraw their nominations by January 12, according to the ECP.
Electoral symbols will be allotted to candidates on the 13th of January and polling for general elections will be held on February 8.
According to a revised schedule issued by the ECP for reserved seats of women and non-Muslims, the last date for the scrutiny of nomination papers is January 13 and the last date for filing of appeals is January 16.
A list of candidates for reserved seats will be published on January 20 and the nominees could withdraw their papers by January 22.
A final list of contesting candidates will be released by the ECP January 23, the Radio Pakistan reported.
The ECP has also established Election Monitoring and Control Centers at provincial, divisional and district levels to register and address public complaints regarding the polls.
These control centers will maintain communication with relevant personnel and stakeholders, including returning officers and district returning officers, according to an ECP spokesperson.
People can register their complaints related to the general elections by emailing them to [email protected] or sending them via WhatsApp to 0327-5050610.
A helpline, 111-327-000, has also been established for the convenience of complainants, initially operating from 8am till 6pm.
Pakistan regulator starts receiving appeals against acceptance, rejection of election nominations
https://arab.news/vu27m
Pakistan regulator starts receiving appeals against acceptance, rejection of election nominations
- The process of receiving appeals from election candidates will continue till Jan. 3 and decisions on these appeals will be made by Jan. 10
- The election regulator will display a preliminary list of candidates on Jan. 11, while candidates could withdraw nominations by Jan. 12
Pakistan’s deputy PM says country will not send forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas
- Ishaq Dar says Pakistan open to peacekeeping but Gaza’s internal security is Palestinian responsibility
- Pakistan’s top religious clerics from different schools have warned against sending forces to Palestine
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday Pakistan was willing to contribute to an international peacekeeping force in Gaza, though it would not deploy troops to disarm or de-weaponize Hamas.
The statement follows media reports saying Washington views Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor given its battle-hardened military and wants it to be part of International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is part of United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework for a Gaza peace plan.
The plan announced by Trump at the White House on September 29 was formally adopted at the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in October. Co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the summit brought together leaders from 27 countries to sign the “Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity.”
Deployment of troops from Muslim-majority countries during a transitional stabilization phase is a key part of the plan before the war-ravaged Palestinian territory moves toward reconstruction and a longer-term political settlement.
“If they say that we should go and start fighting, disarm Hamas, de-weaponize them, and go and destroy the tunnels that Hamas has built until now, that is not our job,” Dar, who is also the country’s foreign minister, told reporters during a year-end briefing in Islamabad.
He emphasized there was clarity between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership over the matter.
“We have a very complete understanding on this matter that we cannot do that kind of work,” he added.
The deputy prime minister said Pakistan had been using the term “peacekeeping” and had never used the phrase “peace enforcement” while discussing the force.
“I have been very clear: Pakistan will be happy to join if the mandate is not peace enforcement and disarming and de-weaponizing Hamas.”
The government’s stance comes amid growing domestic pressure over the issue.
On Monday, a group of Pakistan’s top religious leaders, chaired by prominent scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani, warned the government against yielding to what they described as international pressure to send forces to Gaza.
In a joint statement from Karachi, the clerics — representing Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahl-e-Hadees and Shia schools of thought — said that Washington wanted Muslim countries to send their forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas.
“Several Muslim governments have already refused this, and pressure is being increased on Pakistan,” it added.
Addressing such concerns, Dar said Pakistan would not land its forces in Palestine to “fight Muslims.”
Israel has repeatedly called for the disarmament of Hamas as a precondition for any long-term settlement, and the United Nations Security Council has also endorsed the ISF framework in November.
However, Dar maintained during the media briefing the internal security of Gaza was the Palestinian responsibility.
“The Palestinian Authority, their government, it is their job, it is the job of their law enforcement agency,” he said
The deputy prime minister also highlighted Pakistan’s involvement in the “Arab Islamic Group of Eight,” including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia, which has been coordinating on the crisis.
He said the efforts of these countries had brought some peace to Palestine and reduced bloodshed.
“Our declared policy is that there should be an independent two-state solution,” he continued while calling for pre-1967 borders.
