ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has approved the schedule for the upcoming Senate elections which are likely to be held in the first week of March, quashing all rumours about a delay. Senators from four provinces, as well as the federal capital and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), will have their tenure expired on March 11 after completion of their six-year term in the upper house of the parliament. The election will be held for a similar number of seats in the four provincial assemblies. Earlier on Tuesday, the ECP issued a notification about the approval of the schedule of the Senate’s elections, saying another notification will be issued on February 2, 2018. Moreover, the ECP also announced the appointment of returning officers (ROs) and polling officers (POs) for this practice. Sources in the ECP have suggested that the election is likely to be held on March 3. It is crucial to note that the Senate comprises 104 members, in which 23 each are from four provinces, eight from FATA and four from Islamabad—the 23 seats allocated for each province comprise 14 general seats, four reserved for women, four for technocrats and one for a minority member. After the senators’ tenure is expired on March 11, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)—which has 27 seats in the upper house—will lose 18 senators, whereas the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)—which has 26 senators—will lose nine seats. On top of that, around five independent candidates will also complete their term, while the PML-Quaid will lose four seats. Furthermore, the tenure of four senators from the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) will also end, and three senators of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl will also retire. Two will retire from Balochistan National Party-Awami (BNP-A) and one each of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and PML-Functional. About 12 senators from Punjab are going to retire in March. Similarly, 12 senators are also retiring from Sindh. Of these, seven were elected on general seats, two on technocrat’s seats, two on women’s seat and on non-Muslim’s seat. About 11 senators each are retiring from Balochistan and KP in March. FATA’s four senators—Hidayatullah, Hilalur Rehman, Malik Najmul Hassan and Muhammad Saleh Shah—will retire in March. Lastly, Osman Saifullah Khan, who was elected to Islamabad’s general seat, and, Mushahid Hussain Syed, who was elected to technocrat seat, will also retire.
Election
While the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejoices in retaining its seat in Chakwal, a report on accessibility to polling stations should attract the attention of the winning candidate if he wants a better turnout in the general elections later this year. An accessibility audit report for polling stations in PP-20 Chakwal-I, issued by the Pakistan Alliance for Inclusive Elections (PAIE), found that only 16 per cent of polling stations met the accessibility criteria, set as per internationally essential accessibility criterions. The criterions consider whether the surface of the pathways is obstacle free, levelled access to the entrance, wide pathways and corridors, availability of ramps in polling stations, availability of light in polling stations and presence of protruding objects among others. The audit report notes that 84 per cent of the sampled polling stations in the constituency did not meet the essential accessibility criteria and hence differently abled people, elderly and sick were not able to make it to most of the polling stations. Most of the polling stations, around 43 per cent of those sampled, did not have a firm and obstacle-free passage leading to the station. A further 39 per cent of buildings did not provide level access to the main entrance of the polling station. Moreover, 79 per cent of polling stations not having level access also did not possess a ramp to facilitate those confined to wheelchairs. In 66 per cent of cases, protruding objects were reported outside the polling stations, blocking the way. While 82 per cent of polling stations had entrance gates which were sufficiently wide, but on election day, authorities had only opened the smaller gates citing security reasons. “Those smaller gates possess multiple problems; firstly the lesser opening width than minimum standard of 32”, secondly the iron bar at lower edge of the metal gates that is always thicker than maximum door threshold standard of 6mm, thirdly the lower edge bar of the gates is generally two to three inches higher than ground causing another obstacle. In this scenario, if the ECP staff does not open larger gates for the differently-abled then all polling stations naturally become inaccessible for them,” the report noted. The survey further revealed that the interior of the buildings and the outer entrance at 39 per cent of polling stations were not on the same level. Moreover, where there were ramps, only 21 per cent of these were of the required size. There were few other facilities to ease the movement of the differently-abled. “Even if the differently-abled and elderly cross the main gate of the building, 39% polling station buildings will still pose a challenge to them and they will have to cross stairs to reach the polling area.” Most of the polling stations were well lit — lighting is one of the significant conditions of associability criteria — and 93 per cent of the polling stations had lighting arrangements on their gates. This meant that only seven per cent of the sampled polling stations had unlit entrances. The study further revealed that 79 per cent of inaccessible polling stations could be easily modified and made completely accessible. These modifications are minute such as the construction of small ramps at the entrance gate and the inner building, levelling of pathways in front of the polling stations, removing protruding objects from the pathway and the building, and by instructing the security staff to allow differently-abled to pass through the larger gate. Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2018.
Newspaper: Express Tribune
Newspaper Link: https://tribune.com.pk/story/1605558/1-polling-sta…
While the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejoices in retaining its seat in Chakwal, a report on accessibility to polling stations should attract the attention of the winning candidate if he wants a better turnout in the general elections later this year. An accessibility audit report for polling stations in PP-20 Chakwal-I, issued by the Pakistan Alliance for Inclusive Elections (PAIE), found that only 16 per cent of polling stations met the accessibility criteria, set as per internationally essential accessibility criterions. The criterions consider whether the surface of the pathways is obstacle free, levelled access to the entrance, wide pathways and corridors, availability of ramps in polling stations, availability of light in polling stations and presence of protruding objects among others. The audit report notes that 84 per cent of the sampled polling stations in the constituency did not meet the essential accessibility criteria and hence differently abled people, elderly and sick were not able to make it to most of the polling stations. Most of the polling stations, around 43 per cent of those sampled, did not have a firm and obstacle-free passage leading to the station. A further 39 per cent of buildings did not provide level access to the main entrance of the polling station. Moreover, 79 per cent of polling stations not having level access also did not possess a ramp to facilitate those confined to wheelchairs. In 66 per cent of cases, protruding objects were reported outside the polling stations, blocking the way. While 82 per cent of polling stations had entrance gates which were sufficiently wide, but on election day, authorities had only opened the smaller gates citing security reasons. “Those smaller gates possess multiple problems; firstly the lesser opening width than minimum standard of 32”, secondly the iron bar at lower edge of the metal gates that is always thicker than maximum door threshold standard of 6mm, thirdly the lower edge bar of the gates is generally two to three inches higher than ground causing another obstacle. In this scenario, if the ECP staff does not open larger gates for the differently-abled then all polling stations naturally become inaccessible for them,” the report noted. The survey further revealed that the interior of the buildings and the outer entrance at 39 per cent of polling stations were not on the same level. Moreover, where there were ramps, only 21 per cent of these were of the required size. There were few other facilities to ease the movement of the differently-abled. “Even if the differently-abled and elderly cross the main gate of the building, 39% polling station buildings will still pose a challenge to them and they will have to cross stairs to reach the polling area.” Most of the polling stations were well lit — lighting is one of the significant conditions of associability criteria — and 93 per cent of the polling stations had lighting arrangements on their gates. This meant that only seven per cent of the sampled polling stations had unlit entrances. The study further revealed that 79 per cent of inaccessible polling stations could be easily modified and made completely accessible. These modifications are minute such as the construction of small ramps at the entrance gate and the inner building, levelling of pathways in front of the polling stations, removing protruding objects from the pathway and the building, and by instructing the security staff to allow differently-abled to pass through the larger gate. Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2018.
ISLAMABAD: In a rare exercise of its powers, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has invoked Article 220 of the Constitution to seek assistance of the federal and provincial authorities concerned in the delimitation of constituencies and revision of electoral rolls. In separate letters issued to the secretary of statistics division, four provincial chief secretaries and additional chief secretary of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, the ECP has asked them to furnish by Jan 10 data, maps and other information related to delimitation. A senior ECP official told Dawn that traditional lethargy had forced the commission to invoke Article 220, which reads “it shall be the duty of all executive authorities in the federation and in the provinces to assist the commissioner and the Election Commission in the discharge of his or their functions”. Citing the delay in the process involving the president’s assent to the law allowing the conduct of delimitation on the basis of provisional census results as a classic example of the traditional lethargy culture, the official said that “we cannot afford to waste even a single day now”. He said sufficient time had already been wasted in getting the elections bill passed from the Senate after its passage by the National Assembly and it was not possible to amend the already squeezed timelines for delimitation, revision of electoral rolls and other related activities. Giving an example, he said that if the required data was provided to the commission after a delay of 10 days, it would mean commencement of the delimitation process 10 days later than originally planned. He said timely elections were possible only if the delimitation exercise was carried out as per plan. Saying that the ECP would assert its authority to ensure that the deadlines were met, he reminded that the ECP enjoyed clearly defined powers to punish contemnors and said that any failure to comply with the directives would be tantamount to contempt of the commission. The letters written by ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad drew their attention to the sixth population census held earlier this year, saying that through the Constitution (24th) Amendment Act, 2017, clauses 3 and 5 of the Article 51 have been amended according to which seats in the National Assembly have been allocated to each province, Fata and the federal capital on the basis of provisional census results. It has been pointed out that the ECP is under a constitutional obligation to delimit the constituencies and revise the electoral rolls accordingly. “In order to accomplish these national tasks well before the upcoming general elections, the Election Commission is pleased to invoke Article 220 of the Constitution….,” the letters read. The letters have drawn the attention of provincial chief secretaries to the paucity of time and recalled that the ECP had on Dec 22 issued directives requiring the authorities concerned to assist the commission in delimitation and revision of electoral rolls. The authorities have been directed to accomplish various tasks and furnish necessary information to the commission within the stipulated dates. The provincial chief secretaries have been asked to submit the required information by Jan 10. Informed sources said the Balochistan chief secretary had assured the ECP that the required information would be submitted before Jan 10. Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2017
Newspaper: Dawn
Newspaper Link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1379498
ISLAMABAD: In a rare exercise of its powers, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has invoked Article 220 of the Constitution to seek assistance of the federal and provincial authorities concerned in the delimitation of constituencies and revision of electoral rolls. In separate letters issued to the secretary of statistics division, four provincial chief secretaries and additional chief secretary of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, the ECP has asked them to furnish by Jan 10 data, maps and other information related to delimitation. A senior ECP official told Dawn that traditional lethargy had forced the commission to invoke Article 220, which reads “it shall be the duty of all executive authorities in the federation and in the provinces to assist the commissioner and the Election Commission in the discharge of his or their functions”. Citing the delay in the process involving the president’s assent to the law allowing the conduct of delimitation on the basis of provisional census results as a classic example of the traditional lethargy culture, the official said that “we cannot afford to waste even a single day now”. He said sufficient time had already been wasted in getting the elections bill passed from the Senate after its passage by the National Assembly and it was not possible to amend the already squeezed timelines for delimitation, revision of electoral rolls and other related activities. Giving an example, he said that if the required data was provided to the commission after a delay of 10 days, it would mean commencement of the delimitation process 10 days later than originally planned. He said timely elections were possible only if the delimitation exercise was carried out as per plan. Saying that the ECP would assert its authority to ensure that the deadlines were met, he reminded that the ECP enjoyed clearly defined powers to punish contemnors and said that any failure to comply with the directives would be tantamount to contempt of the commission. The letters written by ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad drew their attention to the sixth population census held earlier this year, saying that through the Constitution (24th) Amendment Act, 2017, clauses 3 and 5 of the Article 51 have been amended according to which seats in the National Assembly have been allocated to each province, Fata and the federal capital on the basis of provisional census results. It has been pointed out that the ECP is under a constitutional obligation to delimit the constituencies and revise the electoral rolls accordingly. “In order to accomplish these national tasks well before the upcoming general elections, the Election Commission is pleased to invoke Article 220 of the Constitution….,” the letters read. The letters have drawn the attention of provincial chief secretaries to the paucity of time and recalled that the ECP had on Dec 22 issued directives requiring the authorities concerned to assist the commission in delimitation and revision of electoral rolls. The authorities have been directed to accomplish various tasks and furnish necessary information to the commission within the stipulated dates. The provincial chief secretaries have been asked to submit the required information by Jan 10. Informed sources said the Balochistan chief secretary had assured the ECP that the required information would be submitted before Jan 10. Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2017
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is set to launch a door-to-door verification drive aimed at registering 7.3 million computerised national identity card (CNIC) holders, who are not on electoral rolls. According to the latest figures received by the ECP from the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra), Punjab alone has 4.11m CNIC holders yet to become voters. These include 2.21m men and 1.9m women. In Sindh, 1.4m people have yet to be registered, including 0.867m men and 0.587m women. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 1m people are not registered voters, including 0.577m men and 0.443m women. In Balochistan, 0.268m men and 0.183m women have yet to become voters. In the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), there are 0.288m people — 0.152m women and 0.136m men — with the CNICs, but they are not registered to vote. An ECP official told Dawn that the commission had also received data of 0.923m deceased who were still on the electoral rolls — including 0.665m (0.454m men and 0.211m) in Punjab alone. In Sindh, 132,302 deceased men and 61,887 deceased women were still on the voter list. In KP, the number of registered deceased voters stands at 40,608, including 30,298 men and 10,310 women. In Balochistan, more than 12,000 deceased individuals were registered to vote, including 9,112 men and 2,966 women. In Fata, a total of 3,060 deceased people, including 2,718 men and 342 women, were registered to vote. The deceased individuals on existing voters’ lists will be struck off the lists after the door-to-door verification
Newspaper: Dawn
Newspaper Link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1379308
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is set to launch a door-to-door verification drive aimed at registering 7.3 million computerised national identity card (CNIC) holders, who are not on electoral rolls. According to the latest figures received by the ECP from the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra), Punjab alone has 4.11m CNIC holders yet to become voters. These include 2.21m men and 1.9m women. In Sindh, 1.4m people have yet to be registered, including 0.867m men and 0.587m women. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 1m people are not registered voters, including 0.577m men and 0.443m women. In Balochistan, 0.268m men and 0.183m women have yet to become voters. In the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), there are 0.288m people — 0.152m women and 0.136m men — with the CNICs, but they are not registered to vote. An ECP official told Dawn that the commission had also received data of 0.923m deceased who were still on the electoral rolls — including 0.665m (0.454m men and 0.211m) in Punjab alone. In Sindh, 132,302 deceased men and 61,887 deceased women were still on the voter list. In KP, the number of registered deceased voters stands at 40,608, including 30,298 men and 10,310 women. In Balochistan, more than 12,000 deceased individuals were registered to vote, including 9,112 men and 2,966 women. In Fata, a total of 3,060 deceased people, including 2,718 men and 342 women, were registered to vote. The deceased individuals on existing voters’ lists will be struck off the lists after the door-to-door verification
ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza will chair a high-profile meeting on Friday (today) to formulate a plan for holding general elections next year. An official of the Election Commission of Pakistan said the meeting, to be attended by top ECP officials and representatives of the organisations concerned, would mark commencement of the preparatory work for the elections. He said that during the meeting instructions were likely to be given to the officials concerned regarding the preparatory work required for the gigantic electoral exercise which would take place either in the last week of July or first week of August. The emergency meeting would be attended, among others, by all the chief secretaries, secretary of the statistics division, provincial election commissioners and chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority, said the official. Polls to be held in late July or early August, says official He said the meeting would focus on the already delayed delimitation exercise, but other issues concerning the preparatory work required for the mammoth exercise would also come under discussion. The fresh delimitation of constituencies would begin by Jan 15 and was likely to be completed by May 15, that is, some two weeks before announcement either on May 28 or 29 of the schedule of the elections. During the meeting, the official said, directions would be issued to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics for provision of the census data, maps of 163,675 census blocks and copies of the other documents required. He said the ECP would require provisional results of the census in district and tehsil circles and at census blocks level. Timely provision of the documents was necessary as the commission would have to carry out simultaneously the tasks of delimiting the constituencies and revising the electoral rolls “on a war footing” due to the delay in passage of the Elections Bill 2017 and the subsequent amendment to provide for carrying out delimitation on the basis of the provisional census results. Six to eight weeks would be required for the fresh delimitation of constituencies of national and provincial assemblies, while a month each would be required for the process for registration of objections and their disposal, said the ECP official. In addition to the delimitation of constituencies and revision of electoral rolls, agenda of the meeting would include procurement of maps along with descriptions, assistance during the delimitation exercise, preparation of a draft list of polling stations, timelines for these exercises, missing facilities at the proposed polling stations, GIS facilities and installation of security cameras at the sensitive polling stations. The official said that Section 20 of the Elections Bill 2017, set to become an act of the parliament shortly, enshrined the principles of delimitation. Under the section, “all constituencies for general seats shall, as far as practicable, be delimited having regard to the distribution of population in geographically compact areas, physical features, existing boundaries of administrative units, facilities of communication and public convenience and other cognate factors to ensure homogeneity in the creation of constituencies”. He said that as far as possible, variation in the population of constituencies of an assembly or a local government shall not ordinarily exceed 10 per cent, and if it did exceed the limit in an exceptional case, the ECP would have to record the reasons. He said that under section 21 of the bill, for the purpose of delimiting the constituencies, the commission might receive and consider representations, hold inquiries, summon witnesses and record evidence, and shall prepare and publish in the official gazette a preliminary report and list of constituencies, specifying the areas proposed to be included in each constituency. The commission had to invite representations in respect of the preliminary report within a period of 30 days from the date of publication. A voter in a constituency might, within the specified period, make a representation to the ECP in respect of delimitation of that constituency as proposed in the preliminary report, and the commission after hearing and considering the representations would make such amendments, alterations or modifications in the preliminary list of constituencies as it thought fit or necessary, and within a period of 30 days from the last date fixed for making representations, publish in the official gazette and on its website the final report and list of constituencies showing the areas included in each constituency. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has urged the ECP to complete the process of delimitation of constituencies as quickly as possible, preferably in three months. A message posted on Mr Khan’s official Twitter account said that the PTI would not “tolerate any delay in the elections through any lame excuse”. “Governance chaos exists because of political vacuum in Pakistan today. Only solution is early elections,” the PTI chief said in the message. Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2017
Newspaper: The News
Newspaper Link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1378116
ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza will chair a high-profile meeting on Friday (today) to formulate a plan for holding general elections next year. An official of the Election Commission of Pakistan said the meeting, to be attended by top ECP officials and representatives of the organisations concerned, would mark commencement of the preparatory work for the elections. He said that during the meeting instructions were likely to be given to the officials concerned regarding the preparatory work required for the gigantic electoral exercise which would take place either in the last week of July or first week of August. The emergency meeting would be attended, among others, by all the chief secretaries, secretary of the statistics division, provincial election commissioners and chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority, said the official. Polls to be held in late July or early August, says official He said the meeting would focus on the already delayed delimitation exercise, but other issues concerning the preparatory work required for the mammoth exercise would also come under discussion. The fresh delimitation of constituencies would begin by Jan 15 and was likely to be completed by May 15, that is, some two weeks before announcement either on May 28 or 29 of the schedule of the elections. During the meeting, the official said, directions would be issued to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics for provision of the census data, maps of 163,675 census blocks and copies of the other documents required. He said the ECP would require provisional results of the census in district and tehsil circles and at census blocks level. Timely provision of the documents was necessary as the commission would have to carry out simultaneously the tasks of delimiting the constituencies and revising the electoral rolls “on a war footing” due to the delay in passage of the Elections Bill 2017 and the subsequent amendment to provide for carrying out delimitation on the basis of the provisional census results. Six to eight weeks would be required for the fresh delimitation of constituencies of national and provincial assemblies, while a month each would be required for the process for registration of objections and their disposal, said the ECP official. In addition to the delimitation of constituencies and revision of electoral rolls, agenda of the meeting would include procurement of maps along with descriptions, assistance during the delimitation exercise, preparation of a draft list of polling stations, timelines for these exercises, missing facilities at the proposed polling stations, GIS facilities and installation of security cameras at the sensitive polling stations. The official said that Section 20 of the Elections Bill 2017, set to become an act of the parliament shortly, enshrined the principles of delimitation. Under the section, “all constituencies for general seats shall, as far as practicable, be delimited having regard to the distribution of population in geographically compact areas, physical features, existing boundaries of administrative units, facilities of communication and public convenience and other cognate factors to ensure homogeneity in the creation of constituencies”. He said that as far as possible, variation in the population of constituencies of an assembly or a local government shall not ordinarily exceed 10 per cent, and if it did exceed the limit in an exceptional case, the ECP would have to record the reasons. He said that under section 21 of the bill, for the purpose of delimiting the constituencies, the commission might receive and consider representations, hold inquiries, summon witnesses and record evidence, and shall prepare and publish in the official gazette a preliminary report and list of constituencies, specifying the areas proposed to be included in each constituency. The commission had to invite representations in respect of the preliminary report within a period of 30 days from the date of publication. A voter in a constituency might, within the specified period, make a representation to the ECP in respect of delimitation of that constituency as proposed in the preliminary report, and the commission after hearing and considering the representations would make such amendments, alterations or modifications in the preliminary list of constituencies as it thought fit or necessary, and within a period of 30 days from the last date fixed for making representations, publish in the official gazette and on its website the final report and list of constituencies showing the areas included in each constituency. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has urged the ECP to complete the process of delimitation of constituencies as quickly as possible, preferably in three months. A message posted on Mr Khan’s official Twitter account said that the PTI would not “tolerate any delay in the elections through any lame excuse”. “Governance chaos exists because of political vacuum in Pakistan today. Only solution is early elections,” the PTI chief said in the message. Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2017
A day after the Senate passed the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2017, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday announced that it will commence the process of delimitation of constituencies towards the end of December this year and complete the entire process by May 20, 2018. The bill will become a law after a formal assent by President Mamnoon Hussain. The bill, which the National Assembly had passed on November 16, seeks fresh delimitation of electoral constituencies ahead of the upcoming general elections on the basis of provisional results of the 2017 population census. Under the terms of the amendment, while the number of NA seats will remain the same, Punjab will lose out on seats as its share in Pakistan’s population has fallen to 52 per cent in 2017 from 56pc in 1998. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will gain the seats lost by Punjab, while Sindh’s share will remain the same. The delimitation bill will reallocate seats of all national and provincial assemblies keeping in view the latest census results. According to a press release by the commission, the ECP has drafted a plan for delimitation of constituencies. Under the plan, the ECP will start procuring maps and other relevant data by December 26, 2017, and complete the process by Jan 10, 2018. In the meantime, delimitation committees will be constituted and trained. The committees will begin delimitation of constituencies by January 15 and complete it by February 28. Advertisement The ECP will then invite proposals and objections on the draft delimitation in the next 30 days between March 5 and April 3. The disposal of proposals and objections will be carried out from April 4 to May 3. The process of delimitation will be completed by May 20 with the official publication of the exercise. To ensure implementation of the draft plan, the ECP has called an emergency meeting of all chief secretaries, secretary statistics, provincial election commissioners, chairman of National Database and Registration Authority and other relevant officials on December 22.
Newspaper: Dawn
Newspaper Link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1377799
A day after the Senate passed the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2017, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday announced that it will commence the process of delimitation of constituencies towards the end of December this year and complete the entire process by May 20, 2018. The bill will become a law after a formal assent by President Mamnoon Hussain. The bill, which the National Assembly had passed on November 16, seeks fresh delimitation of electoral constituencies ahead of the upcoming general elections on the basis of provisional results of the 2017 population census. Under the terms of the amendment, while the number of NA seats will remain the same, Punjab will lose out on seats as its share in Pakistan’s population has fallen to 52 per cent in 2017 from 56pc in 1998. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will gain the seats lost by Punjab, while Sindh’s share will remain the same. The delimitation bill will reallocate seats of all national and provincial assemblies keeping in view the latest census results. According to a press release by the commission, the ECP has drafted a plan for delimitation of constituencies. Under the plan, the ECP will start procuring maps and other relevant data by December 26, 2017, and complete the process by Jan 10, 2018. In the meantime, delimitation committees will be constituted and trained. The committees will begin delimitation of constituencies by January 15 and complete it by February 28. Advertisement The ECP will then invite proposals and objections on the draft delimitation in the next 30 days between March 5 and April 3. The disposal of proposals and objections will be carried out from April 4 to May 3. The process of delimitation will be completed by May 20 with the official publication of the exercise. To ensure implementation of the draft plan, the ECP has called an emergency meeting of all chief secretaries, secretary statistics, provincial election commissioners, chairman of National Database and Registration Authority and other relevant officials on December 22.
ISLAMABAD: In a significant move towards averting the threat of delayed general elections, the Senate on Tuesday finally passed a bill providing for delimitation of constituencies on the basis of provisional census results. As many as 84 senators voted in favour of the bill. Kamil Ali Agha of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid was the only senator who voted against the bill, while the party’s parliamentary leader Mushahid Hussain Sayed entered the house only after the voting process. In a brief chat with reporters, Mr Hussain, however, claimed that he had supported the bill. He referred to an agreement reached during a meeting of parliamentary leaders with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and said it would not have been possible without the role played by him and Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo of the National Party. When contacted, Senator Agha said he had acted in accordance with the party policy. He said his presence in the house at the time of voting was meaningful. “I had been assigned the duty to remain present in the house,” he said, adding that a lawmaker who failed to follow party policy in voting on a constitutional amendment was disqualified for ‘floor-crossing’. PML-Q lawmaker votes against bill; seven Fata senators stay away from process Saleh Shah was the only senator from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas who voted in favour of the bill, while the rest of seven chose to stay away from the process. Interestingly, the Fata senators were present in the house much before the commencement of Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s briefing to the Senate Committee of the Whole. Leader of the House in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq said the passage of the constitutional amendment bill was essential for democracy and staving off the threats to Pakistan. This, he acknowledged, was not possible without cooperation of the opposition and thanked Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan and other parliamentary leaders for their cooperation. Mr Haq assured the house that the points given by Pakistan Peoples Party’s parliamentary leader Senator Taj Haider on the modus operandi of a third-party audit of provisional results in five per cent census blocks would be implemented in letter and spirit. The stand-off over the bill had been continuing for weeks as the PPP, which had supported the bill in the National Assembly, abruptly changed its position. Initially, the PPP was demanding re-audit of census results in 1pc blocks, which had been agreed at the forum of Council of Common Interests (CCI). But the party demanded that the blocks be raised to 5pc when the bill was presented in the National Assembly on Nov 16. When that demand too was met, the PPP had raised objections to the proposed modus operandi for the re-audit exercise. The position taken by the PPP and refusal of the government to meet the demands led to a deadlock which was broken last Friday, when a meeting of the parliamentary leaders was convened by the prime minister where PPP’s all demands were met. The meeting had decided to introduce and pass the bill from the Senate on Dec 19 (Tuesday). The bill is set to become an act of parliament any moment after a formal assent by the president. The bill also provides for reallocation of National Assembly seats. Article 51(5) of the Constitution provides that seats in the National Assembly shall be allocated to each province, Fata and the federal capital on the basis of population in accordance with the last census officially published. There is a consensus among political parties that for purposes of the next general elections to be held in 2018 and by-elections, allocation of NA seats should be made on the basis of provisional results of the 2017 census without changing the existing number of general seats (272) and women seats (60) and retaining the share of Fata (12). According to the reallocation of seats under the bill, seats will increase for Balochistan (2 general seats + l woman seat), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (4+l) and federal capital (l+0), while seats for Punjab will decrease (-7 and -2). The seats for Sindh will remain the same. Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2017
Newspaper: The News
Newspaper Link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1377679/
ISLAMABAD: In a significant move towards averting the threat of delayed general elections, the Senate on Tuesday finally passed a bill providing for delimitation of constituencies on the basis of provisional census results. As many as 84 senators voted in favour of the bill. Kamil Ali Agha of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid was the only senator who voted against the bill, while the party’s parliamentary leader Mushahid Hussain Sayed entered the house only after the voting process. In a brief chat with reporters, Mr Hussain, however, claimed that he had supported the bill. He referred to an agreement reached during a meeting of parliamentary leaders with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and said it would not have been possible without the role played by him and Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo of the National Party. When contacted, Senator Agha said he had acted in accordance with the party policy. He said his presence in the house at the time of voting was meaningful. “I had been assigned the duty to remain present in the house,” he said, adding that a lawmaker who failed to follow party policy in voting on a constitutional amendment was disqualified for ‘floor-crossing’. PML-Q lawmaker votes against bill; seven Fata senators stay away from process Saleh Shah was the only senator from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas who voted in favour of the bill, while the rest of seven chose to stay away from the process. Interestingly, the Fata senators were present in the house much before the commencement of Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s briefing to the Senate Committee of the Whole. Leader of the House in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq said the passage of the constitutional amendment bill was essential for democracy and staving off the threats to Pakistan. This, he acknowledged, was not possible without cooperation of the opposition and thanked Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan and other parliamentary leaders for their cooperation. Mr Haq assured the house that the points given by Pakistan Peoples Party’s parliamentary leader Senator Taj Haider on the modus operandi of a third-party audit of provisional results in five per cent census blocks would be implemented in letter and spirit. The stand-off over the bill had been continuing for weeks as the PPP, which had supported the bill in the National Assembly, abruptly changed its position. Initially, the PPP was demanding re-audit of census results in 1pc blocks, which had been agreed at the forum of Council of Common Interests (CCI). But the party demanded that the blocks be raised to 5pc when the bill was presented in the National Assembly on Nov 16. When that demand too was met, the PPP had raised objections to the proposed modus operandi for the re-audit exercise. The position taken by the PPP and refusal of the government to meet the demands led to a deadlock which was broken last Friday, when a meeting of the parliamentary leaders was convened by the prime minister where PPP’s all demands were met. The meeting had decided to introduce and pass the bill from the Senate on Dec 19 (Tuesday). The bill is set to become an act of parliament any moment after a formal assent by the president. The bill also provides for reallocation of National Assembly seats. Article 51(5) of the Constitution provides that seats in the National Assembly shall be allocated to each province, Fata and the federal capital on the basis of population in accordance with the last census officially published. There is a consensus among political parties that for purposes of the next general elections to be held in 2018 and by-elections, allocation of NA seats should be made on the basis of provisional results of the 2017 census without changing the existing number of general seats (272) and women seats (60) and retaining the share of Fata (12). According to the reallocation of seats under the bill, seats will increase for Balochistan (2 general seats + l woman seat), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (4+l) and federal capital (l+0), while seats for Punjab will decrease (-7 and -2). The seats for Sindh will remain the same. Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2017
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the ministry of law and justice on a petition seeking right to vote for overseas Pakistanis in upcoming general election of 2018. Engineer Muhammad Ilyas, a Pakistani Malaysian citizen, pleaded his petition in person, saying that millions of the Pakistanis living abroad had been sending remittances of billions of dollars to homeland every year. However, he said, the overseas Pakistanis had not been given their constitutional right to vote in the election. The petitioner claimed that around three million, of 220 million, were registered as voters with the ECP. He said it was very unfortunate that the leaders elected with the votes of minority population had been ruling the country. Engineer Ilyas said he filed several applications to president, the ECP and other authorities to enable the overseas Pakistanis to cast their votes in the upcoming general elections but no action had been taken so far. Advertisement He asked the court to order the ECP and others to take necessary measures without fail so that the millions of overseas Pakistanis could take part in the next general election. Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah admitted the petition for hearing and directed a deputy attorney general to submit replies on behalf of the ECP and other respondents by Jan 22, 2018. REPORT SOUGHT: Hearing a petition against appointment of Jahangir Anwar as additional information secretary, the Lahore High Court on Monday sought record from the Punjab chief secretary about the officers of BS-18 appointed on BS-19 posts. Advocate Sheraz Zaka argued on behalf of the petitioner that Mr Anwar was a BS-18 officer whereas he had been given the charge of BS-19 post in violation of law and the many judgments of the Supreme Court. He further contended that principles of good governance were being violated by giving preference to junior officers and bypassing seniority of the eligible officers. He said the impugned appointment made by the government should be set aside being a violation of merit and law. Justice Shujaat Ali Khan expressed concerned over appointments of junior officers on senior posts and directed the chief secretary to submit record of all officers of BS-18 working on BS-19 posts in addition to an explanation about the appointment of the addition information secretary. The judge adjourned hearing till Jan 30. UET: Justice Shujaat Ali Khan on Monday summoned the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) vice chancellor to explain his position in a petition questioning alleged illegal appointments made at the varsity. UET’s former deputy registrar Abdul Rauf had filed a petition challenging appointment of Registrar Muhammad Asif and Controller Examinations Zaigham Nusrat. The petitioner’s counsel argued that according to service rules both respondent officers lacked required experience of 13 years. He said the Punjab Higher Education Department in its reply also declared the impugned appointments illegal and recommended their removal. Justice Khan took notice of no reply from the UET vice chancellor despite several notices and directed him to appear in person on Dec 20, the next date of hearing. Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017
Newspaper: Dawn
Newspaper Link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1376130
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the ministry of law and justice on a petition seeking right to vote for overseas Pakistanis in upcoming general election of 2018. Engineer Muhammad Ilyas, a Pakistani Malaysian citizen, pleaded his petition in person, saying that millions of the Pakistanis living abroad had been sending remittances of billions of dollars to homeland every year. However, he said, the overseas Pakistanis had not been given their constitutional right to vote in the election. The petitioner claimed that around three million, of 220 million, were registered as voters with the ECP. He said it was very unfortunate that the leaders elected with the votes of minority population had been ruling the country. Engineer Ilyas said he filed several applications to president, the ECP and other authorities to enable the overseas Pakistanis to cast their votes in the upcoming general elections but no action had been taken so far. Advertisement He asked the court to order the ECP and others to take necessary measures without fail so that the millions of overseas Pakistanis could take part in the next general election. Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah admitted the petition for hearing and directed a deputy attorney general to submit replies on behalf of the ECP and other respondents by Jan 22, 2018. REPORT SOUGHT: Hearing a petition against appointment of Jahangir Anwar as additional information secretary, the Lahore High Court on Monday sought record from the Punjab chief secretary about the officers of BS-18 appointed on BS-19 posts. Advocate Sheraz Zaka argued on behalf of the petitioner that Mr Anwar was a BS-18 officer whereas he had been given the charge of BS-19 post in violation of law and the many judgments of the Supreme Court. He further contended that principles of good governance were being violated by giving preference to junior officers and bypassing seniority of the eligible officers. He said the impugned appointment made by the government should be set aside being a violation of merit and law. Justice Shujaat Ali Khan expressed concerned over appointments of junior officers on senior posts and directed the chief secretary to submit record of all officers of BS-18 working on BS-19 posts in addition to an explanation about the appointment of the addition information secretary. The judge adjourned hearing till Jan 30. UET: Justice Shujaat Ali Khan on Monday summoned the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) vice chancellor to explain his position in a petition questioning alleged illegal appointments made at the varsity. UET’s former deputy registrar Abdul Rauf had filed a petition challenging appointment of Registrar Muhammad Asif and Controller Examinations Zaigham Nusrat. The petitioner’s counsel argued that according to service rules both respondent officers lacked required experience of 13 years. He said the Punjab Higher Education Department in its reply also declared the impugned appointments illegal and recommended their removal. Justice Khan took notice of no reply from the UET vice chancellor despite several notices and directed him to appear in person on Dec 20, the next date of hearing. Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017
