Live: Elections 2024

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered an “impartial probe” into allegations of manipulation of poll results made by Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha.

Taking notice of the claims in a statement, he directed that a “high-level committee” be constituted to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

“An independent inquiry of the allegations will be held,” CM Naqvi asserted, adding that the facts will be brought forward.

Here’s the full text of the ECP’s rejection of Liaquat Chatha’s claims.

Full text of the statement:

“The Election Commission of Pakistan strongly rejects the allegations levelled by the Commissioner Rawalpindi on the chief election commissioner or the election commission and no official of the election commission never issued any instructions regarding changing the election results to the Commissioner Rawalpindi. Neither is the commissioner of any division ever appointed as a DRO, RO or presiding officer, nor do they ever play a direct role in the conduct of elections. However, the election commission will conduct an inquiry into the matter as soon as possible.”

Rawalpindi Senior Superintendent of Police (operations) Kamran Asghar has told Dawn.com that city commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha has not been arrested yet after media reports said he had been taken into custody.

“How can we arrest someone till a case has been filed against them?” he asked.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has said that it strongly rejects the allegations made by the Rawalpindi Commissioner against the chief election commissioner.

In a press statement, it added, “No official of the commission gave any instruction to the Rawalpindi commissioner for change in the election results.”

It said the matter would be investigated.

Responding to the claims of manipulation of election results made by Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha, Punjab Information Minister Amir Mir has questioned why the former did not come clean about them on election day.

Speaking to Geo News, he said Chattha was making “irresponsible claims”.

“If he was forced, why did he not come forward on election day? Why did he come clean after election day?” he asked.

“There was some political affiliation of his own or plans and designs that did not happen so he is taking his anger out by blaming the government and elections,” the provincial info minister alleged.

Mir further said a probe into Chatha’s mental health was needed, stating that the commissioner had called for himself to be severely punished.

Punjab caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir has “rejected” the claims of manipulation of election results made by Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha.

Speaking to Geo News, he said that Chatha had “not shown any proof” of the alleged tampering of poll results.

Noting that the commissioner was retiring on March 13, Mir said, “I imagine he’s trying to kick start his political career after he retires.”

Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha has said that “stabbing the country in its back does not let” him sleep.

“I should be punished for the injustice I have done and others who were involved in this injustice should also be punished,” he told reporters in Rawalpindi.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha has said that “independent candidates who were winning” the election were made to lose.

When asked by reporters in Rawalpindi if there were “irregularities” in the electoral process and if the local returning officers had delayed the transmission of results, Chatha said that irregularities was a “small term” for it.

“We made to lose the independent candidates who were winning [the election] with a lead of 70,000-80,000 votes by putting on fake stamps,” he added.

“There is no pressure on me,” the commissioner said, adding that he “could not become a part of breaking this country”.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha has resigned from his office after claiming that the results of the February 8 elections were manipulated.

Speaking to reporters at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, he said there was “pressure” on him to the extent that he contemplated suicide today but then resolved to present matters before the public.

“It is my request to the entire bureaucracy to not do anything wrong for all these politicians,” he added.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha has claimed that the candidates who were “losing” the elections “were made to win” and has “taken responsibility for all the wrongdoing” in the alleged poll-rigging.

“I am taking the responsibilty for all this wrongdoing and telling you that the chief election commissioner and the chief justice are also completely involved in this,” he told reporters in Rawalpindi.

PTI leader Taimur Saleem Jhagra has asserted that his party will “fight for justice tooth and nail”, referring to the party’s planned protests against alleged rigging in the general elections.

“However, this is also the ultimate badge of honour. To be singled out in the province is the ultimate proof of zero compromise on principle,” he said in a post on X.

The police in the federal capital have warned the public to avoid any “illegal activity” as it reminded them that section 144 was in force in Islamabad. The measure prevents gatherings and is coinciding with PTI’s protest call over what they say are rigged elections.

PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan has said that jailed leader Imran Khan has told the party members “clearly” about which political parties they can join to salvage “the special and minority seats of the party” in the NA.

He said that the former premier had given the instructions during a meeting he held at the Adiala jail, without specifying who else attended the meeting.

Ali further said Imran had issued directives to save the party’s elected MNAs and MPAs from the “hideous game of buying and selling”.

He added that Imran also “strictly ordered” intra-party elections as soon as possible so that PTI-backed independents can finally have a party again. He reiterated that “joining any party” would be a “temporary arrangement”.

PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub has claimed there is “news” about the “deteriorating health” of ex-PM Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, which he said was allegedly due to the “food being prepared for her”.

“This is extremely serious. Adiala jail authorities and the government will be held responsible,” he said in a post on X.

The PTI leader, recently nominated by his party for the coveted role of the prime minister, saluted Bushra Bibi’s “dignity and patience”.

PTI’s X account posted a video of what it said were marchers who had respondend to Imran Khan’s call for a protest.

PML-N’s Jam Kamal has said that all the political forces should lead the country towards improvement through political flexibility, Radio Pakistan reports.

In an interview, he said the general elections were conducted to steer the economy in the proper direction through political stability.

Kamal added that political dynamics are changing rapidly, instead of political rivalries all parties should work for the betterment of commoners.

The Islamabad police have said that section 144 is in force in the city and the security is on “high alert”, as the PTI is set to begin its countrywide protests.

Without directly referring to any scheduled protests, it said that there could be increased traffic near the F9 park and urged the public to avoid “unnecessary travel” on the nearby routes.

The police said that special forces of the Counter Terrorism Department had been deployed on patrol to deal with any emergency.

“Patrolling has been increased across the district while checking has been tightened at checkpoints,” it added.

The PTI has announced the locations in southern Punjab where it will hold protests against alleged poll-rigging.

“To some, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman triggered a political earthquake late Thursday when, during a television interview, he ‘revealed’ that former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and spy chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed had organised and orchestrated the 2022 vote of no-confidence that resulted in Imran Khan’s ouster.

“A day later, he ‘corrected’ himself in a different interview, saying he had taken the ex-spy chief’s name by mistake, and that it was his successor that he had, in fact, been referring to.

“‘They were in contact with all political parties regarding the no-confidence motion, and they told us the way of going about it,’ he had initially said. The PDM parties went along with the plan, but they were merely “rubber-stamping” the move, the JUI-F chief claimed.”

Read the full editorial here.

The PTI has said that the “trenches have been dug opposite the National Press Club” in Islamabad, one of the locations where it will be holding a protest against alleged rigging in Feb 8 polls.

The X account of the party’s Islamabad chapter shared a video of the purported trenches.

PML-N leader Shaza Fatima Khawaja has said that the PTI would “ensure that it keeps causing political instability” until it forms a government.

Reacting to the PTI’s call for protests against alleged rigging in Feb 8 polls, Shaza said the PTI “would rather see the country go down (God forbid) but not accept defeat”.

Further assailing the PTI, the PML-N leader said, “When you give them the driving seat (government), they deliberately take the country to the brink of default and keep destroying the social structure with a combination of malafide, corrupt practices and incompetence.”

The PPP has linked its support to PML-N in the Centre with its participation in the Punjab government, while Nawaz league stalwarts have publicly opposed moves to form a government that would be like a “crown of thorns” for them.

A source in the PPP told Dawn that the party had asked PML-N that all other matters would be decided between them later, the N-League would first have to give it “some space” in the Punjab set-up.

Following this demand, the scheduled meeting of the contact and coordination committees of both sides could not take place on Friday, with the PML-N seeking one more day to sit together on Saturday.

“Members of the PML-N’s committee went to Lahore on Friday to get response of the party’s high command on the PPP’s demand. They will return from Lahore tomorrow and the meeting between the two sides will take place at 3pm on Saturday,” the source said.

Read more here.

Repolling is under way at six polling stations of NA-43 (Tank/Dera Ismail Khan), as scheduled by the ECP.

In an earlier statement, the ECP had said that polls could not be held at those polling stations due to poor law and order.

PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that no political party has an absolute majority in the Centre in the Feb 8 elections.

In a post on X, he said, “The formation of the federal government is the joint responsibility of all the parties in the parliament, not the PML-N.

“Independent members supported by PTI should take the initiative [and] form a joint central government with the PPP,” he suggested.

“PML N has no desire to decorate this crown of thorns on its head,” Rafique said referring to forming the next government.

PTI has announced the locations for its protests in northern Punjab, which it said would be against alleged rigging in the Feb 8 elections.

The protests would be held at F9 Park in the Rawalpindi district, outside the ECP office in Jhelum, outside the press club in Chakwal and at Attock’s Fawara Chowk.

Other locations include the district commissioner’s office in Khushab, Sargodha’s Qainchi Mor, Mianwali’s Rokhri Mor and Zame Wala Tehsil in Bhakkar.

After Grand Democratic Alliance held a protest in Jamshoro, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Waqar Mehdi said that the alliance’s leader Pir Pagara was a “respectable” personality but was being used by already “rejected” elements.

“Pir Sahib Pagara is a highly respected personality, and his devotees had gathered at Hyderabad Jamshoro Bypass to meet Pir Sahib,” said Mehdi.

Mehdi claimed that “in GDA, no party other than the Functional League can even win councilor elections.”

He also accused religious parties of using seminary students for political purposes to create the impression of large rallies and protests.

PTI’s Barrister Ali Saif has said the party has decided to sit in the opposition in the Centre and Punjab in accordance with instructions of party founder Imran Khan.

Talking to the media after visiting the Qaumi Watan Party in Islamabad, Saif said: “We decided to sit in opposition despite the reality that if we received seats according to our votes and the results were not changed then maybe today we might have been in the Centre with 180 seats. Form 45 is the evidence that our candidates won.”

Jamaat-i-Islami leader Liaquat Baloch has said that his party’s contact and talks with the PTI will continue in the future.

Addressing the media in Islamabad after a meeting with a PTI delegation led by Asad Qaiser, he said: “I think we will welcome whichever party protests against this rigged election.”

PTI lawyer Mashal Yousafzai has said that party founder Imran Khan has given clear directions that talks with other political parties will only be regarding alleged electoral rigging and participation in protests.

“Apart from this, any party that was part of the regime change and compromised on the sovereignty of Pakistan will have no say or alliance to form the government. Our politics and struggle is not for power but for true freedom and people,” she said while relaying Imran’s message.

GDA leader Pir Pagara has asserted that the upcoming government will not last beyond eight to 10 months as per his information.

“What has happened because of the sky-high inflation during the past 20 months of government? The middle class is being eliminated. Inflation will touch the sky after this inflation and the middle class will be wiped out.”

GDA leader Pir Pagara has lauded the performance of PTI-backed independent candidates in the general elections, adding that young and female supporters of the party had pulled off a “miracle” despite obstacles.

“If you don’t give respect and justice in this country then people will find alternate path.”

GDA leader Pir Pagara has questioned the Election Commission of Pakistan for being missing in action and called on it to take notice of the alleged rigging in the general elections,

He questioned whether politicians before PTI founder Imran Khan had not taken state gifts from the Toshakhana despite it being illegal. “In my view Imran Khan is not a thief, yes there could have been a mistake … but he is not a thief,” he said.

Grand Democratic Alliance leader Pir Pagara has alleged that the result of the general elections was “already sold three months back and the payment was made too”.

Addressing a party power show in Jamshoro, he said the election had proved that no political leader or party were prevalent at the national level but reduced to provincial levels.

“Our protest is against the snatching of our mandate.”

Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem has lent support to the GDA’s stance of rejecting the elections.

“We don’t accept the results … The Supreme Court should take notice, declare results illegal and summon Form 45s,” he roared.

Naeem said the party did not believe in lies and alleged that an “arrangement” was made to silence the party.

Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem castigated what he said was the rule of a mafia in Sindh’s urban and rural areas.

Addressing a power show of the Grand Democratic Alliance in Jamshoro, he said a movement launched by the party would rid the people of the mafia’s control.

“Urban feudals have been imposed over Karachi. You know that the MQM-P obtained not even 100,000 genuine seats in the election and it was gifted 15 NA and 25 provincial seats. They are terrorists who deal in bodies,” he said.

PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat has said he will lead Saturday’s protest from Islamabad’s F9 park to the National Press Club.

“If the rulers want to inflict violence upon us then let me tell them one thing, I take full responsibility that if anyone wants to spread discord in Islamabad then we will ourselves catch them and hand them over to authorities.”

He said the protest would remain peaceful, warning that if the police clamped down it then the movement would continue until “the results are not changed”.

PTI Senior Vice President Sher Afzal Marwat has said that party founder Imran Khan wants supporters to come out and protest on Saturday at 11:30am in the same numbers as they came out on February 8.

“One more time. You have to come out for Khan, democracy and real freedom in Pakistan,” he said.

Grand Democratic Alliance leader Fehmida Mirza has criticised the fairness of the general elections, asking Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa whether he had taken notice of the matter.

Addressing a power show in Jamshoro, she said: “We reject this election, we reject this election commission.”

Mirza said Article 6 should be applied on those who had snatched the people’s rights.

She also hit out at the PPP for how the local government elections in Sindh were conducted, accusing the party of rigging.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s interview with journalist Gharidah Farooqi will air at 7pm today, the party said in a post on X.

The iVerify Pakistan team sought to determine the veracity of the claim that PTI-backed candidate Meher Bano Qureshi won Multan’s NA-151 seat in a recount.

The team came across a Feb 11 X post by the Gillani House Media Cell which uploaded the supposed Form 49 or final result of the election for the constituency.

The form showed Musa with the highest votes in the constituency at 79,082 to Meher Bano’s 71,659.

The team confirmed the authenticity of the Form 49 via Dawn reporter Tassur Subhani who also said: “No recounting occurred in the NA-151 constituency of Multan and the circulating claim is not correct.”

Read the full story here.

Barrister Taimur Malik, who contested the Feb 8 polls with the support of the PTI, said that he had contested the elections against ex-premier Yousuf Raza Gillani.

It should be mentioned that Gilani was declared a winner from NA-148 with 67,326 votes, while Malik had secured 67,033 votes.

“They couldn’t even carry out rigging correctly in my constituency,” he said. He said that the first Form 47 showed him with a lead of 200 votes while it was reduced to some 100 votes in the second.

“Gilani sahib, you’ve been had. Don’t abandon your Senate seat. Don’t look toward the National Assembly,” he said. He said that at the polling station near his home, he garnered 767 votes of which 13 were rejected.

He said this was later changed to 767 votes rejected and only 13 votes in favour of him.

Speaking to the media at a rally organised by the PTI in Islamabad, party leader Khurram Sher Zaman lamented the “day light robbery” in Karachi during the Feb 8 polls.

He decried that seats were “handed out” to the MQM-P. He noted that when the PTI formed its government in 2018, Karachi had played the biggest role in this regard.

He said according to the Form 45, the PTI had won 19 National Assembly seats in Karachi. He said that the Jamaat-i-Islami had garnered the second highest number of votes according to the Form 45.

Usman Dar’s mother Rehana Dar, who contested the Feb 8 polls with the support of the PTI from NA-71, said that she was a housewife who had nothing to do with politics but was compelled to contest the elections.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the PTI in Islamabad, she alleged that her house was raided on the directives of PML-N’s Khawaja Asif.

She said that thousands of “brave sons, mothers and daughters” showed her support in the polls. “The votes were not for me, they were for Imran Khan. The city of Sialkot loves Imran Khan,” she said.

“Contest elections outside. Don’t break doors and disrespect a mother,” she said. “If you want, I am ready to contest the polls again,” she said.

Ayaz Amir, who contested the Feb 8 polls with the support of the PTI, has said: “What were mechanics of rigging in my Chakwal constituency NA-58 […] the one thing done early in the evening was that the office of the returning officer (RO) was sealed.”

Speaking a press conference in Islamabad organised by the PTI, he said that the RO’s office was sealed by the police and the “caretakers of the caretakers”.

He said that he visited the RO office at 6pm on election day but he was kicked out around 7:30-8pm. “Which means that the RO and other people were there and they could do what they wanted,” he said.

He said that he was in possession of the “original” Form 45 of all polling stations in his constituency.

Salman Akram Raja, who contested the Feb 8 polls with the PTI’s backing, said that the “rigging” which happened during the Feb 8 polls took place at the office of the returning officer (RO).

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, he said, “Normally one talks of rigging at polling stations, where the accusation is that the rival candidates carried out the rigging. But once the votes have all been brought to the office of the RO […] and once Form 45, that tabulates the result in every polling station, has been brought to the office of the RO, one expects that the final aggregate based on the results from each of the polling stations would be done fairly by the RO.”

He said that what happened on election night and Feb 9 was a “massive assault” on democracy in Pakistan. He alleged that “fictitious” Form 47 were created and the Form 45 were “tampered with”.

“What is the point in holding an election if you are going to create a result out of thin air?” he asked. “If the state officials responsible for safeguarding the election can be won over […] then every election to be carried out in Pakistan becomes a farce,” he said.

“If this is not reversed then it spells death for democracy in Pakistan. This was not just an election fraud, it was a wholesale assault on democracy in Pakistan,” he said.

During a press conference in Islamabad, PTI’s Shandana Gulzar gave a presentation on alleged rigging in the Feb 8 polls.

“We got 1.25 million votes in Karachi [but] we did not get a single seat. Jamaat-i-Islami received 700,000 votes and not a single National Assembly seat in Karachi,” she said.

“In Punjab, we got 13.6m votes and we were given 55 seats. This is a joke with the people of Pakistan,” she said. Showing graphics on a large screen, she said that at 3am on Feb 9, the PTI had won 154 seats in the National Assembly while the PML-N and PPP had won 47 each.

She said that the party was winning 42 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, of which some were stolen and the party was handed 37.

“From Islamabad, we were winning three and all three were stolen from us,” he said. “In Punjab we were winning 115 and 55 were given to us. In Balochistan we were getting four we got one,” she said.

PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan said that 2024 would be remembered due to the “biggest voter fraud” in Pakistan’s history against the party and its candidates.

“According to our estimates, out of 177 [National Assembly] seats which were supposed to be ours, only 92 have been given to us. And 85 seats have been taken away from us fraudulently,” he said at a press conference in Islamabad, adding that the party was taking constitutional and legal steps in this regard.

“We have verified data about 46 seats and it is being compiled for 39 seats,” he said. He said that the party had three ways to ascertain alleged rigging in the polls, saying that there were discrepancies between the Form 45 and the Form 47.

He further said that there was also a huge difference in the numbers of votes polled for National Assembly and provincial assembly seats. He said that the number of rejected votes, in certain cases, exceeded the margin of victory.

PTI’s Seemabia Tahir then took the stage and played a video of alleged rigging in the Feb 8 polls.

Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has challenged his conviction and sentence in the cipher case in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

In his plea — filed through lawyers Ali Bukhari, Taimur Malik and Salman Safdar — Qureshi urged the IHC to set aside his conviction and acquit him of the charges of making state secrets public.

“There is not a speck of evidence that the appellant aided, abetted or facilitated the co-accused in any manner,” the petition argued. It highlighted that the foreign ministry was the “original recipient” of the cipher telegram but had been “kept at bay”.

It further argued that the complainants had failed to show how Qureshi or “any co-accused engaged in actions detrimental to national security or in aid of foreign powers”.

Separate petitions have been filed before the Islamabad High Court through Barrister Ali Zafar against Imran Khan’s sentences in the Toshakhana and cipher cases.

The Toshakhana plea made the state and the accountability bureau respondents and urged the IHC to “suspend the execution of the conviction and sentence” imposed on Imran.

The petition pertaining to the cipher case made the state and Interior Ministry Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar respondents in the case. It urged the high court to set aside the conviction and sentence and acquit him of the charges.

It contended that the trial court passed the judgment in a hasty manner without providing the suspect an opportunity for a fair trial.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb said that after as election results were being compiled after polling on Feb 8, they were being shown on TV.

“Form 45 were floated on the media and social media beforehand […] when they were being shown on TV screens, they were being compiled,” she said, adding that she stated again and again that they were incorrect.

She said that an impression was created of winning or losing on a small percentage of results.

Speaking to Dawn News on the programme ‘Doosra Rukh’, PPP leader Khurshid Shah has said the party opposes the appointment of Ishaq Dar as the finance minister.

Asked if Dar can fix Pakistan’s economy, Shah replied: “Dar cannot save the economy; he was the one who damaged it.”

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Mustafa Kamal has said that his party wants a “working relationship” with all other political parties, not arguments.

In a post on X, Kamal said, “We have the mandate for this city (Karachi). We want a working relationship with all; the Peoples Party (PPP) should check its ranks.”

He termed the economic crisis as the biggest issue facing the country, saying that it was “connected to Karachi”.

The PTI has called for countrywide protests tomorrow (Saturday) against the “unprecedented, massive [and] brazen rigging” in the February 8 elections.

In a post on X, the PTI claimed that its “win of 180 National Assembly seats and a two-thirds majority in Parliament was cut down to half”.

While party leader Hammad Azhar said the protests were to take place at 2pm, the PTI stated the scheduled time as 12pm tomorrow.

PTI leader Hammad Azhar has called on his party ticket holders and workers as well as the public to “prepare for the historic and peaceful protest” that it will hold at 2pm tomorrow (Saturday) against alleged rigging in the recent elections.

In a post on X, Azhar said that rallies would be convened from “every union council”, but did not specify any location for the protests, saying they will be announced soon.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, IPP leader Aun Chaudhry said he had come before the media to “expose Salman Akram Raja for who he really is” after the latter — a PTI-backed candidate who contested the Feb 8 polls — filed a petition with the Lahore High Court (LHC) over the results of NA-128; the two had contested the general elections from the constituency.

Chaudhry said he was the true winner of the NA-128 seat based on the Form 45 issued. “The Form 45 that you give is correct, but the one we give is incorrect?” he asked.

“I am sitting here today because you have compelled me to expose you. When you talk about my country, I will not stay quiet,” he said. “I have won, and I will claim this victory; this propaganda and these fake results you are spreading, I will not let this happen.”

Posing a question to Raja, Chaudhry asked: “Why was there no rigging in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa? Where you have lost, you claim there was rigging. Where you won, there is no rigging.

“The organised rigging you did in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will also be exposed,” he warned.

PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi has said the party will field its own candidates for president, National Assembly speaker and Senate chairman.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, his said that the PPP has pledged support for the PML-N for the prime minister’s election because the country “cannot afford another election right now”, adding that there was “no other option”.

“We are a majority party in Balochistan currently, and the way we’re supporting political parties in Punjab and the Centre, we hope to receive the same support in Balochistan,” he said.

He added that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will soon announce candidates for the position of chief minister in Balochistan and Sindh.

Sardar Mohammad Riaz, the MPA-elect from PK-33 (Kolai-Palas), has joined independents backed by the PTI.

“I have joined PTI as people of my constituency are still living without basic amenities, and I want to bring Kolai-Palas among prosperous and developed districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he told reporters on Thursday.

Riaz, who earlier met Ali Amin Gandapur, the nominee for the chief minister slot, expressed optimism that the new provincial government would launch such development programmes which could improve the living standard of the people in remote parts of the province like Kolai-Palas.

Two of three seats of the provincial assembly in Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts were won by the independents not backed by PTI, and one of them so far joined the latter.

PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi noted that a PTI delegation visited the JUI-F yesterday. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, he said that it was good that the two sides gathered.

Kundi said that JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had alleged that his party’s mandate was stolen. “If it was stolen, then who was it given to? To the same delegation who visited him yesterday.”

Talking about Fazl’s comments on the alleged involvement of ex-spymaster Lt Gen Faiz Hameed in the no-confidence move against Imran Khan, Kundi noted that the former army official was posted at the Peshawar Corps Commander at the time.

He further said that Fazl was the head of the Pakistan Democratic Movement at the time and could have stopped the no-confidence move, adding that the JUI-F chief benefited the most from the move.

Repolling is being held today at seven polling stations of Balochistan’s NA-253 (Ziarat/Harnai) and PB-9 (Kohlu), according to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

In an earlier statement, it had said that polls could not be conducted on February 8 at the said stations due to poor law and order.

Relevant instructions had been issued to the provincial chief secretary and police chief as well as other law enforcement agencies, the ECP stated.

After re-polling was held in 25 polling stations of Kohat’s PK-90 constituency, PTI-backed independent candidate Aftab Alam, who had already been declared the winner on Feb 8, has retained the seat.

Alam dealt a stunning defeat to the runner-up, Amjid Afridi of PPP, a three-time winner on the same seat.

Earlier, Alam was leading with 41,043 votes, while Afridi had received 33,785 votes. According to the fresh tally, Alam bagged 45,506 votes and Afridi 34,315 votes.

Read more here.

The Supreme Court has fixed a petition seeking to declare the Feb 8 general elections null and void for hearing. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Mussarat Hilali, will take up the plea on February 19 (Monday).

Filed by a citizen named Ali Khan, the petition urges the court to order new elections within 30 days to be held under the direct supervision and oversight of the judiciary “to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability”. It also seeks a stay order to stop the formation of a new government till the case is decided.

The Election Commission of Pakistan and the federal government have been made respondents in the case.

BNP-M President Sardar Akhtar Mengal has predicted that the new government will collapse within one and a half years as people have not given majority to any party in the recent elections.

In a video message, Mengal said, “The new government comprising two to three parties could not be run for more than one and a half years.”

In view of the past experience of coalition governments one can say that coalition partners will blackmail each other as happened in the past, he pointed out.

Read more here.

The United States is concerned about reports of intimidation and voter suppression in Pakistan’s election, Reuters quotes the White House as saying.

“We are watching this very, very closely,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday, expressing concern about “intimidation and voter suppression.”

“International monitors are still taking a look at those tallies, I’m not going to get ahead of that process,” he added about the vote count.

His comments came after the Foreign Office once again rejected international criticism of the election process, saying polls were an internal, sovereign affair of Pakistan.