Pakistan Elections 2024 LIVE: Imran Khan's Party Launches Protest Over 'Rigged Results' On Several Seats
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Karachi police had to resort to tear gas and batons at a rally of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) against alleged rigging, Dawn reported.
The ECP ordered re-polling on February 15 at polling booths of NA-88 (Khushab II), PS-18 (Ghotki I), and PK-90 (Kohat I) after alleged rigging, Dawn reported.
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party workers launched protests against the delay in election results, "rigging and manipulation" at several seats across Peshawar and Karachi. They resorted to loud sloganeering and waving of party flags, news agency PTI reported.
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party pressed the Election Commission to declare complete poll results by midnight or brace for protests in areas where outcomes are still pending, news agency PTI reported.
PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his party has not engaged in any formal discussions with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), or any other political entities regarding the prospect of forming a coalition. In an interview with Geo News, he said that the PPP recognises its inability to secure a government independently.
Pakistan President Arif Alvi said that the delay in announcement of election results could have been avoided if EVMs were used, Dawn reported.
Caretaker PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar has ruled out any political motive behind communications blackout on the election day, and said that people were able to peacefully exercise their right to vote, Dawn reported.
According to current trends, independent candidates are leading with 100 seats, followed by PML-N, which is leading with 71 seats. However, no one has reached near majority.
After losing the election, Imran Khan's former Ally Sheikh Rasheed was granted bail, and the Anti-Terrorism Court of Rawalpindi ordered his release.
(Input By: Syed Jaludin)
The proceedings regarding the Al-Qadir Trust case have been postponed without any proceeding. Accountability Court judge Justice Muhammad Bashir, who was meant to conduct the hearing against Imran Khan in Adiyala Jail, took the day off today.
A large number of media personnel were stationed outside Adiala Jail. Reporters were also keen on attending today's hearing to learn about Imran Khan's reaction to the elections, but now no one gets any updates.
(Inputs By: Syed Jaludin)
According to current trends, Imran Khan's PTI is leading the elections with 91 seats, followed by PML-N with 71 seats, as reported by Dawn.
PML-N candidate Muhammad Afzal has bagged the NA-125 seat from Chiniot with 65,102 votes, Dawn reported, citing provisional results released by the ECP.
PML-N candidate Ataullah Tarar has won the NA-127 seat from Lahore with 98,210 votes by beating PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, according to ECP's provisional results, as reported by Dawn.
Former PM Imran Khan has claimed that PTI-backed candidates are bagging more than 170 seats, according to Form 45 data. He further stated that a “two-third majority” has been secured. Khan also slammed Nawaz Sharif for giving a victory speech despite being 30 seats behind.
“No Pakistani will accept this,” Imran said in an AI-generated speech. "The international media is also writing about that stupidity.” Imran stated that, according to independent sources, PTI-backed candidates were winning over 150 seats before rigging began taking place. “You have created history,” he added.
US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller praised the poll workers, civil society members, journalists, and election observers for their efforts to safeguard Pakistan's democratic and electoral institutions.
“We condemn electoral violence, restrictions on the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including attacks on media workers and restrictions on access to the internet and telecommunication services, and are concerned about allegations of interference in the electoral process,” ANI quoted Miller as saying.
Two PTI workers were killed and 12 others sustained injuries in a clash with police in Shangla’s Alpuri district, Dawn reported.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser said that his party is exploring options on forming the government and will come to a decision on Saturday. “We are trying to form our government in the Federation, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said in an interview on Geo News.
Imran Khan's PTI alleged “massive rigging” took place in Lahore’s NA-128 seat, Dawn reported.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif greeted his supporters at PML-L party office in Lahore after winning his seat with 1,71,024 votes. "We congratulate you all because, with God's blessings, Pakistan Muslim League (N) has emerged as the largest party...We respect the mandate given to every party...We invite them to sit with us to take the injured Pakistan out of crisis," ANI quoted Sharif as saying.
PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari won the NA-194 seat from Larkana, Dawn reported.
Of the 136 seats counted so far, out of 235 contested, independent candidates backed by Imran Khan has won 49, Reuters reported citing Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) data. Former PM Nawaz Sharif's PML-N won 42, while PPP bagged 34.
PTI-backed candidate Suriya Bibi scripted history as she became the first woman to win the PK-01 seat from Chitral with 18,914 votes, Dawn reported.
PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq won the NA-120 seat from Lahore IV with 68,143 votes, Dawn reported.
"Generally around the world, we hope for fair, free and open elections. That is something that we support," US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti told ANI, while speaking on the violence reported on polling day.
PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal won NA-76 seat from Narowal with 136,279 votes, Dawn reported.
PPP leader Sherry Rehman has claimed that party chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s votes have gone “missing” in Lahore's NA-127 seat, Dawn reported. He claimed the blockade of mobile phone services led to the “chaos”.
Imran Khan loyalists win most seats in Pakistan assembly race at half-way point, according to the poll body.
PML-N candidate Tariq Fazal Chaudhry won NA-47 seat from Islamabad II with 102,502 votes, Dawn reported.
PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur won from the NA-44 seat from Dera Ismail Khan with 93,443 votes, Dawn reported.
PTI-backed independent candidate Shahid Ahmad Khattak won the NA-38 seat from Karak, Dawn reported.
Pakistan Elections | NA-130 Lahore seat, PML(N)'s Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif won his seat with 1,71,024 votes, ANI reported, citing Geo News.
A neck-and-neck fight is being witnessed between Imran Khan's PTI and Shehbaz Sharif's PML-N in Pakistan general elections as the two parties lead on six seats, as reported by Dawn.
PTI-backed candidate Fazal Muhammad Khan has won NA-25 Charsadda II, securing a total of 100,713 votes, as reported by Dawn.
PTI-backed independent candidate Zubair Khan has come out victorious in PK-34 Battagram with 13,501 votes, as reported by Dawn.
BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal has bagged the National Assembly election from NA-261 Surab-Cum-Kalat-Cum-Mastung by securing 3,404 votes, as reported by Dawn.
Former prime minister and PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif has won the NA 123 seat from Lahore with 63,953 votes, according to the ECP, as reported by Dawn.
Following earlier suspension due to security threats, the Interior Ministry reveals the partial restoration of mobile phone services, specifying areas including Bhakkar, Sargodha, Taxila, Gujar Khan Chakri, Loralai, Sibi, Jhal Magsi, and all of Sindh, excluding Malir and Karachi, in a post on X after 8 pm.
ECP spokesperson Haroon Shinwari assures that election results will be announced on schedule, emphasizing that the countrywide internet outages during the electoral process will not impact the electoral watchdog's system, following the Interior Ministry's statement on service suspension due to security concerns.
In a video statement on X, JI leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman expresses concern about the city's deteriorating conditions, accusing MQM-P of attacking JI workers outside polling stations in NA-232 and criticising the presence of Rangers, pledging to protest the perceived inaction.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said it resolved 76 poll-related complaints received throughout the day.
According to the ECP spokesperson, the majority of the complaints were "normal" involving confrontations between political workers in various areas that were resolved on the spot.
The counting of votes is in progress as reported by Radio Pakistan after the closure of polling at 5 pm, with voters present inside polling stations before the deadline allowed to complete the electoral process. (Input from Dawn)
Amnesty International criticises the suspension of mobile and internet services during Pakistan's 2024 general elections, labeling it a reckless attack on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, particularly concerning amid bomb blasts and an intense opposition crackdown.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, leader of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), encourages citizens to vote for PML-N, promising an end to inflation and a happier life for the people of Pakistan, following his own vote at a polling booth in Islamabad.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), participates in the 12th general elections by casting his vote at a polling booth in Islamabad.
Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader and ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif exercises his voting right in the country's general elections.
Expressing serious concerns, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, a leader of Jamaat-i-Islami, condemns the shutdown of mobile services on election day, describing it as a shameful stunt by the government that paralyzes the communication system during the voting process.
Unidentified gunmen set off a bomb and opened fire on a police vehicle assigned for election security in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, resulting in the deaths of four policemen and injuries to six others, raising security concerns in the region following recent terror incidents. (PTI Input)
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) calls for the prompt reinstatement of internet and cellular services countrywide, expressing concern over the lack of transparency regarding disruptions despite the Sindh High Court's directive and emphasizing the impact on voters' right to information and potential result transmission.
PPP leader and former climate change minister Sherry Rehman approached the Election Commission of Pakistan in Lahore against the internet and mobile services that were suspended today ahead of the polls.
Pakistan police arrested a suspect who was posing as a policeman and was trying to enter polling station 179 in Peshawar's NA-31.
Global Internet Watchdog, NetBlocks called the ongoing internet suspension in Pakistan "inherently undemocratic" which will "cause irregularities in the voting process." NetBlocks director Alp Toker said that the internet blackout in Pakistan is amongst the largest ones that the company has observed in any country in terms of extent and severity.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has demanded that mobile phone services that were suspended earlier today ahead of the election be restored 'immediately.' He also said that he has asked his party to approach ECP and courts for the same.
Faisalabad police have uprooted camps of PML-N candidates within 100 metres distance outside MC High School in the NA-101 constituency.
Pakistani politician and chairman of the National Democratic Movement Mohsin Dawar posted on his X account that three female polling agents were attacked by the Taliban in Tappi. They managed to escape the blast narrowly after which Dawar requested ECP to change the polling stations urgently.
PPP Leader and independent candidate Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar commented on the suspension of mobile phone services on polling day and called it "the beginning of election day rigging."
Pakistan Peoples Party Leader and late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's daughter, Asifa Bhutto cast her vote today in Sindh province's Nawabshah tehsil.
The polling process at Tank's Kot Azam polling station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was suspended after an unidentified man opened fire at a security staff, killing him on the spot.
President of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif has cast his vote in Lahore's NA-127 constituency at polling station number 82.
Imran Khan and other prominent political leaders including former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, have cast their votes through a postal ballot from Adiala Jail.
A delegation of the Commonwealth Observer Group( COG) and foreign observers expressed their satisfaction over the ongoing polling process and arrangements after they visited different polling stations in Islamad today morning.
The Pakistan Government has decided to suspend cellular services in the country to maintain law and order and deal with potential threats as general elections begin.
The interior ministry has decided to “temporarily suspend mobile services across the country” in light of the “deteriorating security situation,” as reported by Dawn. In a statement, the ministry said, “Recent surge in terrorist activities resulting in precious lives have stirred security environment in the country,” as quoted by Dawn.
United States Congressman Bill Huizenga has requested the Pakistani government to emphasize the importance of conducting elections that are both free and fair, uphold due process, adhere to the rule of law, and demonstrate respect for human rights.
According to Geo News, there have been disruptions in mobile phone services in various regions of Pakistan, encompassing Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar.
After days of violence, militant attacks and grappling with an economic crisis, Pakistan is all set to elect a new government today with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif asthe front-runner to lead the country.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari asserts that joining a government led by either Nawaz or Shehbaz Sharif is "impossible" due to the PML-N's persistence in maintaining the same old political approach.
In an interview with Geo News, Bilawal stated that while he had a better working relationship and rapport with Shehbaz Sharif than with Nawaz Sharif, it was still "impossible for me to participate in a government with either Nawaz or Shehbaz with the PML-N continuing with the same old politics".
Former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asserts that Nawaz Sharif will be the PML-N's prime ministerial candidate if the party attains a simple majority in the February 8 polls, stating, "When the people give their mandate tomorrow, we will discuss it. And if we secure a simple majority, Mian Nawaz Sharif will be our candidate," as affirmed to Geo News.
Karachi grapples with major traffic snarls as election-related duties bring congestion to key roads, including Steel Town, Mauripur road, Jinnah Bridge, Rashid Minhas road, Soldier Bazaar, and more, as reported by the traffic police.
- At least 30 people were killed in two attacks on candidates’ political offices in Balochistan province, less than 24 hours before the country goes to the polls.
- Election Commission of Pakistan spokesperson says polling will still take place in the constituencies where the blasts took place.
- Pakistan’s political parties ended their campaigns on Tuesday evening as per election rules.
Nearly 650,000 security personnel have been deployed across poll-bound Pakistan as authorities were busy setting up polling stations to enable more than 12.85 crore registered voters to cast their ballot in the general election on Thursday.
Stepped-up security is imperative given the spree of violence with the latest being two devastating bomb blasts targeting election offices on Wednesday in the restive Balochistan province that saw at least 25 people killed and more than 40 others injured.
Radio Pakistan reported that about 6,50,000 security personnel have been deployed on the ground to ensure the security of the voters. These include the personnel of police, civil armed forces, and the armed forces. Under a three-tiered system, the personnel of the armed forces will perform duties outside the polling stations. (PTI Input)
At least 30 people were killed and more than 40 others injured on Wednesday in twin 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 20 people and wounded 30 others.
Less than an hour later, another blast took place outside the election office of a Jamiat-Ulema Islam-Pakistan in the Killa Abdullah area claiming the lives of 10 people and injuring 22 others, officials said.
No group or individual claimed responsibility for the twin blasts. (PTI Input)
Pakistanis will vote on Thursday to elect a new government to rule the cash-strapped country amid a spree of violence including deadly blasts on the eve of elections in which the front-runner former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is believed to have the backing of the powerful military.
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.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates are contesting the polls independently after the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the election commission to deprive his party of its iconic election symbol cricket 'bat'.
Sharif, 74, will be eying the premiership for a record fourth time in Thursday's election.
The contest also involves the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who has been declared as the party's prime minister face. (PTI Input)
Background
Pakistan Elections 2024 LIVE: Hello and welcome to this space brought to you by ABP Live. Stay tuned for all the updates coming straight from the political battleground of Pakistan.
Pakistan is set to hold national polls on Thursday, February 8, amidst political unrest, a resurgence of militancy, and economic instability. Voting will occur at 90,582 polling stations across the country from 9 AM to 5 PM (local time), with Pakistan relying on traditional ballot boxes rather than electronic voting machines (EVMs).
With a population of 241 million, 128 million individuals above the age of 18 are eligible to vote. A total of 5,121 candidates are vying for seats in the National Assembly, averaging a little over 19 candidates per seat. Of these candidates, 94% are male, with 312 female candidates and two transgender candidates.
Pakistan's National Assembly comprises 336 seats, with direct voting for 266 seats and 70 reserved seats (60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims).
After the elections, winning candidates join the National Assembly, while Independents have the option to align with any party post-results. The National Assembly conducts a parliamentary vote to choose the leader of the house, subsequently becoming the country's prime minister.
To form a government, a party must secure a clear majority in the house, requiring the support of at least 169 members. Over 160 political parties are registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan, with major contenders including Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), led by Bilawal Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari.
Imran Khan, leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, currently faces imprisonment and a ban on contesting polls. Candidates from his party, denied the use of its election symbol, are running as independents in this election.
Despite Khan's significant grassroots following, recent setbacks for his party and Nawaz Sharif's resurgence in the political arena suggest a predetermined outcome for the general elections, with experts pointing to Sharif as the primary contender for the prime minister's post, a position he has held thrice in the past.
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