Resolution calls for delaying polls for three months.
Urges SC, ECP to delay polls in view of security challenges.
Similar resolution was passed by upper house last week.
ISLAMABAD: Days after a resolution seeking to delay election in the country was passed by the upper house of parliament, another similar resolution was submitted to the Senate on Friday.
The resolution moved by independent Senator Hidayat Ullah called for postponing February 8 general elections in view of the “security challenges”.
It said the upper house “call upon the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court” to consider holding peaceful elections and postpone the polls for three months in view of the “security challenges”.
The resolution also expressed concerns over “rising incidents” of targeting of the candidates contesting the upcoming elections.
The development comes a day after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) sought a Senate session to ensure timely general elections in the country, The News reported.
It was learnt that PTI Senator Ali Zafar took signatures from other members on a requisition demanding a discussion on the issue of general elections. Besides, PPP and Jamaat-e-Islami senators have also supported the move.
The requisition contends that Pakistan cannot afford political uncertainty; therefore, to strengthen the democratic process and under Article 224 (2) of the Constitution, the general elections should have been held within 90 days.
To the surprise and disbelief of many, on January 5, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution to postpone the February 8 general elections in the country.
Majority of the lawmakers present in the legislature had approved the resolution — seeking polls delay in the light of extreme weather in hilly areas and the deteriorating security situation — moved by independent lawmaker Senator Dilawar Khan.
During the passage of the resolution, only 14 senators were present in the 100-strong Senate. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Afnanullah Khan and caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi had opposed the resolution while PPP’s Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi and PTI’s Senator Gurdeep Singh remained silent.
However, no one raised the quorum of the House during the moving and passage process of the resolution in the Senate.
Speaking in the Senate, mover Dilawar Khan had said that there was a severe winter season in some parts of the country.
He said that there are security threats to the leaders of some political parties and intelligence agencies have issued a security alert of attacks on rallies.
Senator Dilawar said the issue of COVID-19 is also there, so the elections on February 8 should be postponed.
Sheikh Rasheed voiced his worries about the nation’s ongoing political dilemma while speaking outside the Anti-Terrorism Court.
According to Sheikh Rasheed, a committee was established to negotiate, but the process has not produced any tangible results. In order to emphasize the seriousness of the situation, he said, “Political conditions are extremely bad.”
He made the joke, “Even after war, if negotiations fail, then it will all come down to judo karate,” in reference to the next steps.
“Everyone there prays for Pakistan’s betterment,” Sheikh Rasheed, who had returned from Saudi Arabia, said. He emphasized the necessity for the nation’s circumstances to improve and stabilize.
Assad Qaiser, a former speaker and PTI leader, had earlier called on Speaker Ayaz Sadiq of the National Assembly to discuss the official start of talks with the government.
The two leaders shared their opinions on bringing parties together on matters of national importance and reducing political tensions and conflict.
“I will persuade my people, you persuade the hardliners in your party,” Ayaz Sadiq said to Assad Qaiser.
The party’s founder is in jail, and the PTI leadership has asked to meet with him. “We will continue to confer with him,” Assad Qaiser declared.
Earlier, PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai stated that if the discussions don’t begin, a campaign of civil disobedience will begin on December 14.
Speaking to the media Regarding the meetings, Yousafzai claimed that the government ministers were making insincere remarks.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) conducted a hearing about the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) plea for the revocation of Bushra Bibi’s bail.
The court, led by Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, rejected the FIA’s petition during the hearing.
Judicial Proceedings
Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb sought information regarding Bushra Bibi’s location, to which her attorney, Barrister Salman Safdar, affirmed her attendance in court.
The judge urged the counsel to regard the matters with gravity, underscoring the necessity of adherence to trial protocols.
The court sought details about instances where Bushra Bibi had been exempted from attending trial hearings and clarified that if the High Court grants bail and the accused fails to appear, the trial court holds the authority to cancel the bail.
Justice Aurangzeb assured that such actions would not amount to contempt of the High Court’s order.
Based on these considerations, the court closed the proceedings and dismissed the FIA’s plea.
The Supreme Court has officially accepted the plea submitted by the PTI chairman for a judicial probe into the events of May 9 for a comprehensive hearing.
The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court annulled the registrar’s office’s objections to the petition and instructed the office to allocate a case number and arrange the hearing.
The PTI chairman was represented by prominent attorney Hamid Khan, who appeared in court to argue for the petition’s admission.
The Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) already convicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in connection with the incidents on May 9 and denied his bail on eight distinct counts.
The court’s finding was delivered in a six-page written order by ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul.
The written ruling emphasized substantial evidence against the PTI founder, comprising audio and visual recordings of his directives to incite violence.
The court observed that witnesses had provided testimony on the conspiracy planned by Imran Khan at Zaman Park, where he purportedly strategized for his possible arrest by intending to disrupt state functions via his supporters.
Imran Khan’s legal counsel contended that he was in custody at the time of the incidents, proposing that bail be granted in accordance with precedents where bail was awarded in like circumstances following detention.
Nevertheless, the court rejected this argument, underscoring that the case’s nature was not a trifling issue of conspiracy or incitement.
The prosecution established that Mr. Khan had explicitly incited assaults on military and governmental facilities and had galvanized both his commanders and supporters to adhere to his directives.
The decision additionally cited the Lahore High Court’s finding regarding a prior release granted to Ijaz Chaudhry, highlighting Imran Khan’s involvement in the conspiracy. The court dismissed the defense’s challenge over the prosecution’s lack of specificity concerning the date, time, or location of the purported conspiracy, affirming that the scheme was allegedly devised on May 7 and May 9 at Zaman Park.
The prosecution asserts that undercover police officers, masquerading as PTI supporters, intercepted discussions outlining the scheme.