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ECP ‘unlikely’ to announce elections date any time soon

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1 year ago

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  • CEC working to ensure delimitation process is unquestionable.
  • Recent meetings beneficial; no major party opposed delimitation.
  • President Alvi has mysteriously gone quiet since last Friday.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is in no rush to announce the schedule of the general elections in the country, as the regular meetings are more focused on completing the process of constituency delimitation in an error-free manner, The News reported Thursday. 

Highly placed sources from the ECP told the publication: “It is unlikely that polling day will be determined any time soon and even before the end of the month as the specific question isn’t on the agenda of the ECP’s meetings as yet.”

They further added that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has been working diligently for weeks to make sure the process of delimitation is undertaken in a way that can’t be questioned. 

Committees for supervision of the process have been constituted and committee members have been asked to constitute subordinate committees comprising people whose integrity cannot be questioned. Committee members are also being monitored so that their work is not affected by politics.

According to sources, the recent series of meetings with the political leadership of various parties proved beneficial for the ECP’s process as no noteworthy party had opposed the delimitation. 

As far as the question of polls in a specific period of time is concerned, though, parties do have divergent views about the timeline. 

The CEC has told the commission that undue haste will not be exercised during the delimitation process since this is a sensitive issue and provides the basis for the elections.

It has been indicated that the ECP will take up the question of the election schedule in the last week of this month. Weather and other logistical considerations will be taken into view before deciding the date of the polls. 

Per sources: “the commission is fully aware of its obligations relating to elections in a free and fair manner…. it will not budge under any pressure coming from any side”.

The ECP is also apparently satisfied with the assurances given by the caretaker administration regarding the provision of required support in relation to the polls. Sources have hinted that the general elections could be held in the last week of January next year. 

Apparently, the ECP has dedicated the third floor of its office to state-of-the-art equipment to keep an eye on pre- and post-poll affairs. It will be used as a monitoring centre where the election results will reach immediately post-counting. 

In an unrelated development, President Arif Alvi has mysteriously gone quiet since last Friday. His official spokesman is also not communicative. The president was set to perhaps announce a polling date this week but he may have retracted from his plan. 

His five-year tenure as the country’s president is set to conclude tomorrow (Friday). While he has been advised to call it a day, and vaguely he was in agreement per rumours, now sources say he wants to avail the constitutional concession that allows him to stay in office till the election of his successor.

The dilemma with Arif Alvi is that while he has constitutional support, he badly lacks political goodwill. 

There is thinking that even political parties have conveyed to the people concerned that it would be difficult for them to accept the process of electioneering in the presence of a highly controversial figure in the Presidency. Alvi is seen to have acted as a partisan head of state. 

Regardless, it is believed by sources that he could resurface tomorrow.

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FO admits that a boat capsized in Greece, killing four Pakistanis.

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1 week ago

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The deaths of four Pakistanis in a boat capsizing event close to the southern Greek island of Goudos have been verified by the Foreign Office.

The incident happened on Sunday and at least five illegal immigrants drowned as a result. According to Greek Coast Guards, 39 people were rescued after the wooden boat overturned, but 40 more are still unaccounted for.

According to a Foreign Office spokeswoman, the four Pakistani nationals were among those killed in the catastrophe. In order to help the remaining Pakistanis and repatriate the corpses of the deceased, the Pakistani Embassy in Athens has been in close communication with Greek authorities, she said.

Additional information was given by Aamir Aftab Qureshi, Pakistan’s ambassador to Greece, during a press conference. According to him, there were 80 Pakistanis on board the doomed boat, and efforts are still being made to find the people who are still missing.

He added that the overcrowding on the boat was a factor in the capsizing. There are worries over the safety of the missing people because a sizable portion of them are children. He stated that five boats carrying Pakistani nationals were traveling illegally from Libya.

The public was also informed by Ambassador Qureshi that the government will pay for the return flight of the accident victims’ bodies.

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Every office will have a biometric system installed by Lesco.

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2 weeks ago

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system in each office.

Details show that the LESCO had ordered the installation of biometric systems in all offices, including the divisions and the circle.

The installation of the biometric system at the headquarters resulted in an increase in attendance, as the LESCO CEO had stated.

The CEO of LESCO claimed that the biometric system has resolved the issues related to the fictitious overtime and off-days.

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Around 450 Pakistanis have successfully crossed into Lebanon from Syria, according to a briefing from the Foreign Office.

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2 weeks ago

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Approximately 450 Pakistanis, including 250 Zaireen, have successfully crossed into Lebanon from Syria, according to the spokesperson for the Foreign Office, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.

During her weekly briefing at the foreign office in Islamabad, she stated that Pakistan is pleased with the resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly on the Gaza Strip, which calls for an immediate ceasefire.

In addition, she expressed her satisfaction with the elimination of limits placed on UNRWA’s ability to carry out relief activities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

It was stated by her that Pakistan is demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities in Palestine, an end to the genocide that is taking place in Gaza, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for those who are in urgent need, full support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and its mandated humanitarian activities, and medical assistance for those who are in urgent need.

Moreover, she stated that Pakistan emphasises the need for the international community to hold Israel accountable for the war crimes and crimes against humanity that it has committed in occupied lands.

The Israeli aggression against Syria, the illegitimate acquisition of Syrian territory, and the massive devastation of Syrian infrastructure as well as civilian and military sites are all topics that Pakistan is extremely worried about, according to the spokesperson for Pakistan.

According to her, this attack on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is a serious violation of international law to the highest degree. By expressing our support for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we are also expressing our opposition to the Israeli government’s attempt to acquire territory through coercion.

The resolution 497 of the United Nations Security Council, which declares the annexation of the Golan Heights by Israel to be null and illegal and to have no international legal impact, was reaffirmed by her organisation.

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