General elections in Pakistan have seen an unusual surge of former prime ministers entering the race. As the country gears up for the upcoming elections on February 8, four prominent figures, including Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, are vying for victory. Let’s delve into the details of their constituencies, opponents, and past election outcomes. Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister, is set to contest from two National Assembly constituencies, presenting a formidable challenge. Meanwhile, his brother, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, is eyeing victory from Punjab. Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf, representing…
Author: Saifullah
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Rehan Zeb Khan, a candidate supported by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), met a tragic fate on Wednesday as he was fatally shot in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, according to the police. The PTI-backed candidate was actively participating in the electoral race for both NA-8 and PK-22 seats. The unfortunate incident occurred in the Sadiqabad Phatak Bazar area during his election campaign, where unidentified assailants opened fire on him, resulting in his immediate demise.
In 2023, Pakistan’s Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranking experienced a noteworthy improvement during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government, led by Shehbaz Sharif. This positive shift suggests a decline in corruption compared to Imran Khan’s tenure from 2018 to 2022, where corruption had been on the rise according to previous TI reports. Despite being deemed more corrupt under the shared rule of Shehbaz Sharif and Imran Khan in the 2022 CPI report, the TI’s 2023 findings reveal a positive turn. Pakistan climbed from 140th to 133rd out of 180 countries, with its overall score rising from 27 to…
Pakistan and Iran have expressed their commitment to enhancing cooperation, particularly in the political and security spheres. This understanding emerged from a meeting between Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Islamabad. Addressing a joint news conference, Minister Jilani highlighted the common challenge of terrorism, affirming a collaborative approach to address it by leveraging the existing institutional mechanisms between the two countries. The respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity remains a fundamental principle of their cooperation. Key outcomes of the meeting include the establishment of a high-level consultative mechanism at the foreign ministerial level, which…
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Anti-Corruption Wing detained Inspector Mansoor Ahmed of Islamabad Police on Monday, alleging corruption involving a bribe of Rs250,000 from an individual facing murder charges. The inspector is accused of regularly accepting bribes through associates on the ground. A case has been registered, and the FIA has initiated an investigation into the matter. Earlier this month, the FIA launched an anti-money laundering case related to an e-commerce scam exceeding Rs140 million in Karachi. The suspects in this case reportedly exploited credit cards to make purchases and subsequently sought refunds by canceling orders. The arrests were made…
The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, dismissed a plea against Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s candidacy in Quetta’s NA-264 constituency for the February 8 general elections. The court upheld the acceptance of Mengal’s nomination papers, rejecting claims filed by a contender, Yasir Ahmad, who had challenged the decision. Last month, Mengal’s papers were initially rejected by a Returning Officer in Khuzdar, alleging an offshore company link. Mengal deemed it a “well-planned conspiracy” and contested the decision before an election tribunal, which ruled in his favor on January 5. The recent Supreme Court verdict…
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has penned a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, alleging the unwarranted arrests of their supporters in Lahore’s NA-127 constituency, where party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is contesting the February 8 elections. Secretary General Taj Haider expressed concern in the letter, claiming that the arrests by Punjab Police have instilled a sense of terror in the constituency. The correspondence detailed the arrest of PPP supporters Shahbaz and Shahzad, former PML-N counselor Khalida Parveen, and noted that contacting the police revealed Parveen’s arrest in a case filed four months prior. Despite PPP’s Zulfiqar Badar…
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore accepted PTI social activist Sanam Javed’s post-arrest bail application on Monday in connection with the torching of a PML-N office on May 9. The court approved the bail on the condition of a Rs0.2 million bail bond. The ATC judge, Arshad Javed Chadhar, delivered the verdict. Deputy Prosecutor Abdul Jabbar Dogar opposed Sanam’s plea, accusing her of inciting and actively participating in the vandalism, stating that she threw petrol bombs herself. Dogar emphasized the gravity of the situation on May 9, asserting it was an attack on the state orchestrated as part of a…
Saeed Ghani, a prominent leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), vehemently denounced Mustafa Kamal’s allegations, citing his threatening behavior and use of abusive language as highly inappropriate. Ghani expressed concern over the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) alleged desire to sow chaos in Karachi, noting a decline in law and order. Calling on the caretaker government to investigate a recent incident, Ghani asserted that MQM considered District Central as their domain, aiming to resurrect the politics of terror associated with the founder of Muttahida. He emphasized the infiltration of MQM terrorists into a People’s Party meeting, promising revelations through emerging…
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has raised concerns about the blocking of its party’s website within Pakistan, ahead of the upcoming general elections on February 8, 2024. The party, which introduced an online portal on its website insaf.pk, along with a backup site pticandidates.com to mitigate potential voter confusion, has demanded an explanation from the authorities. PTI, which nominated its candidates as independents with various electoral symbols, expressed frustration over the website blockage. The party’s official X account on social media tagged the official handles of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), interim information minister Murtaza Solangi, and interim IT minister Umar Saif,…
