PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate, Arbab Amir Ayub, emerged victorious as the by-election on constituency NA-4 was held peacefully amid unprecedented security measures on Thursday. As per the unofficial results of 269 polling stations circulated by the provincial chapter of the Election Commission through newly-introduced Result Transmission System (RTS), PTI’s Arbab Amir Ayub obtained 47,586 votes, leading the PML-N candidate Nasir Khan Musazai with a margin of 22,319 votes. Nasir Khan Musazai of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) bagged 25,267 votes to stand second. He was closely followed by Khushdil Khan of the Awami National Party (ANP) with 25,143 votes. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate, Asad Gulzar Khan, son of the late Gulzar Khan, obtained 12,802 votes, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan’s Allama Dr Muhammad Shafiq Ameeni got 9,470 votes, Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) Wasil Farooq Jan obtained 7,409 votes. Eight independent candidates, including Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) supported candidate Alhaj Liaqat Ali Khan, obtained 3,679 votes, Muhamma Tanveer got 348 votes, Maulana Waheed Alam bagged 284 votes, Ziaur Rehman got 192 votes, Amanullah Khan Afridi got 160 votes, Doctor Mubashir Khan 181 votes, Samiullah got 149 and Farhan Qadir received 80 votes. It was notable that the votes of the PTI decreased in the by-election as compared to general elections, while the votes of the PML-N candidate increased. In the 2013 general elections, the PTI candidate had secured 55,134 votes, the PML-N’s Nasir Khan Musazi had obtained 20,412 votes, and the JUI-F’s candidate Arbab Kamal had secured 12,519 votes. The seat had fallen vacant owing to the death of the PTI’s dissident MNA Gulzar Khan. The PTI Chairman Imran Khan, in his twitter message, congratulated the PTI candidate for winning the by-election with a huge margin. He said the PTI victory on huge margin proved people’s confidence in the PTI. He termed the party’s candidate’s victory as a win against the united opposition force in the province. The experiment to use RTS remained successful in the by-poll as results of polling stations were quickly received through the SMS system from presiding officers. Sohail Ahmad, Public Relations Officer, Provincial Election Commission, told The News that the presiding officers have quickly updated the results through the RTS. Under this system, he said, the presiding officers enter result into the application along with the picture of Form XIV by using specialised mobile application, which is transmitted to the ECP server. Electronic voting machines (EVMs) were also tested in the by-poll. According to the Election Commission, 100 polling booths used the EVMs alongside the manual voting process successfully. The by-election remained peaceful under strict security arrangements as apart from police, military and paramilitary forces were deployed in the polling stations. One incident of polling of fake votes was reported early in the morning by a police constable, who was deployed for security at a polling station. The police department immediately held an inquiry into the matter through Chief Capital Police Officer Tahir Khan and he submitted report to the IG Police. In the inquiry report, it was revealed that the incident of polling of fake votes by a police constable was baseless. It was stated that the police constable belonged to other district and was helping an aged man, 77, in casting his vote after he was requested by him. The total number of registered voters of this constituency was 397,904. Some 269 polling stations were set up to facilitate the voters. To ensure foolproof security, more than 7,000 police personnel, along with army troops, were deployed outside polling stations. The process of polling started at 8:00am and lasted till 5:00pm. Voter turnout was low.
Election
PESHAWAR: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf retained its National Assembly seat, NA-4, Peshawar IV, in Thursday’s by-elections as its candidate, Arbab Amir Ayub, defeated rivals by a big margin. At the time of the filing of this report, the unofficial election results from 227 of the total of 269 polling stations compiled by the Election Commission of Pakistan through the new Result Transmission System (RTS) showed that Arbab Amir bagged 39,196 votes, Awami National Party’s Khushdil Khan 21,344 votes and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Nasir Khan Musazai 21,182. The seat had fallen vacant in August after the death of dissident PTI MNA Gulzar Khan, who had won it in the 2013 general elections by receiving 55,134 votes. The PML-N candidate was supported by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, whose candidate had obtained 12,519 votes in the 2013 elections. Polling remains peaceful amid tight security The performance of Pakistan People’s Party candidate Asad Gulzar and Jamaat-i-Islami’s Wasil Farooq Jan was dismal as the former secured fourth position and the latter sixth in terms of votes obtained. Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan candidate Allama Dr Mohammad Shafique Ameeni, a new entrant to the electoral arena, fared better than JI’s candidate. Overall, the polling was held in a peaceful environment as around 15 personnel of the Pakistan Army and police were deployed on every polling station. The police and army men were also deployed on rooftops and surroundings of polling stations. Despite the massive door-to-door campaign by political parties, most polling stations didn’t see long queues of voters. The polling process remained smooth and peaceful by and large, as the security forces didn’t allow the irrelevant people to enter the premises of polling stations. The voters were barred from carrying cellphones into polling stations. Many of them showed reluctance in handing cellphones over to other voters. For the first time in the country’s history, the ECP introduced the Result Transmission System for the quick dissemination of election results from polling stations by the presiding officer to the district returning officer. Though the district administration had announced a public holiday in the constituency for the day, many daily wagers didn’t exercise their right of franchise for being busy with their routine work. According to the polling staff members, the turnout was badly affected by the non-participation of labourers. They said only five to 10 percent of voters in the constituency were government employees. In some areas, the people’s votes were registered in polling stations away from their houses despite the presence of polling stations close to their localities. All political parties had arranged vehicles to take voters to polling stations from their houses and drop them off back violating the code of conduct made by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Vehicles were seen with hoisting the flags and posters of parties while carrying voters to polling stations. For the first time in the country’s history, the ECP conducted the pilot testing of the electronic voting machines in 100 polling booths, where demonstration of electronic voting was exercised. Each vote cast through the EVM took 20 seconds. A presiding officer at the Hazarkhwani polling station said the use of EVMs in the next general elections would save the government’s money and the voters’ time. “The government spends billions of rupees on the payment of honoraria to the polling staff in each election in the country, which will be saved after the introduction of EVMs,” he said. The presiding officer said there would be no manual counting at the end of the polling time and instead, the electronic election results would be declared within seconds. A total of 397,952 voters exercise their right of franchise in the by-polls. Among them were 235,127 men and 162,825 women. The ECP had established 269 polling stations having 837 polling booths for the polling. Meanwhile, the Coalition for Elections and Democracy observers, in its preliminary report, said the campaign material and campaign activity was seen outside majority of the NA-4 polling stations implying that the ECP’s code of conduct was not followed. It sad at 25 percent sampled polling stations, voters were seen to be transported and ‘voter parchi’ was also distributed. The observers also said the presence of campaign material and party camps within the restricted 400 yards of the polling stations was noticed at 62 percent polling stations. They said it recorded a total of 119 violations of the election code of conduct and that wall chalking and a large size of banners and posters were the most common. The observers said the wall chalking was observed in favour of independent candidate supported by the Milli Muslim League, PTI and PPP in the areas of Hassan Khattak, Shageeabad, Yousafabad, Telaband, Sheikhan, Mushtazai, Shaikh Mohammadi, Sulemankhel, Mashogagar, Badabhera, Maryamzai and Sherkera. Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2017
ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Wednesday decided to conduct fresh delimitation of constituencies and said the proposed increase in the number of seats of the national and provincial assemblies would be decided in parliament. The issue of an increase in the number of legislatures’ seats was thoroughly discussed in the second consecutive meeting of the cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. “The meeting decided to introduce a bill in the National Assembly ‘that the house may consider proposed increase in the number of seats in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies’ because parliament is the best forum to decide the matter,” a cabinet member told Dawn after the meeting. Proposed increase in number of assemblies’ seats to be decided in parliament According to an official press release, the cabinet decided to place the delimitation bill before the National Assembly for debate and consideration. Earlier, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics gave a presentation to the cabinet on the recently-conducted census. The delimitation of constituencies of national and provincial assemblies is mandatory under the fresh census. Advertisement “We will present zero-proposal bill on the basis of fresh census to let parliament decide whether the seats of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies should be increased or not,” the cabinet member said. The member said the prime minister had sought opinion from each member of the cabinet and was of the view that the issue should be debated in parliament so that whatever decision taken by it could be implemented. He said that since a constitutional amendment was required with a two-thirds majority to increase the number of the seats, the matter should be decided with consensus. “The government does not want to propose anything on it because if it does so, people will say it has already prepared its mind on the issue,” he added. “If parliament agrees to enhance the number of seats, we will discuss options how to make it.” At the last cabinet meeting, the prime minister had sought suggestions from the cabinet members on the proposed increase in the number of seats of parliament on the basis of provisional results of the population census-2017. A majority of the cabinet members opposed the idea of increasing the number of general seats in the National Assembly from 272, terming it unnecessary under the present political and economic situation. A few cabinet members, however, were of the view that the number of seats should be increased to 300, keeping in view the massive increase in the country’s population. At present there are 272 general seats and 70 reserved for women and minorities in the 342-member National Assembly. The increase in the number of seats of the national and provincial assemblies was last made by former military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf before the 2002 general elections. The seats were increased through an amendment to the Constitution, which was later endorsed by parliament through the 17th Constitution Amendment. Under the laws, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is empowered to carry out delimitation of constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies as well as local bodies. However, a fresh legislation is required to allow the ECP to do so on the basis of the census results. The next elections are scheduled to be held on May 31. The ECP has already warned the government that the time is running out for fresh delimitation of constituencies ahead of the 2018 elections and that it will not be possible for the commission to carry out the exercise in a short period since the final results of the census are expected to be announced sometime in April next year. The ECP has also warned that legality of the general elections without delimitation could be questioned. Political experts see the cabinet decision on the delimitation of constituencies as an apparent move to settle the controversy over the census data by the Sindh government and some political parties. In August, the Council of Common Interests (CCI) had approved the provisional results of the sixth census that put the country’s population at 207.77 million with an annual growth rate of 2.4 per cent. The cabinet approved the establishment of a drug court in Quetta and appointment of Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar as Judge Special of Appellate Court under Section 46(1) of the Prevention of Smuggling Act, 1977, in Sindh. It also approved the appointment of the information technology secretary as chairman of the Management Board of National Telecommunication Corporation. The cabinet also assented to the reconstitution of the Board of Governors of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC). It accorded ex-post facto approval to initiate negotiations and for signing of an agreement on scientific exchange and cooperation between PARC and Lanzhou University of China. Proposed amendments to the Rules of Origin under the Malaysia-Pakistan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement were also approved. The cabinet approved the signing of an MoU between the government of Mozambique and the government of Pakistan in defence domain. It accorded approval to the signing of Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income between Pakistan and Bulgaria. The cabinet also approved extension in deputation period of Mr Bebu Ram, deputy chief engineer of Sui Southern Gas Company Limited, Karachi. Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2017
Newspaper: Dawn
Newspaper Link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1366292
PESHAWAR: All is set for the crucial by-election for a Peshawar National Assembly constituency, NA-4, today (Thursday), which many observers consider as a litmus test for the popularity of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government in the province. The seat had fallen vacant after the death of dissident PTI MNA Gulzar Khan on Aug 28. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, 14 candidates representing both major and minor political parties are in the running for the seat. The election campaign ended at midnight on Tuesday amid hectic efforts from all parties to woo voters. Advertisement Analysts insist PTI, ANP, PML-N are neck and neck On Wednesday, political parties set up camps in the constituency to facilitate voters, while a large number of media teams reached the city to cover the election, which many take as a test of the ruling PTI’s popularity with the government completing its five-year term in few months. Political pundits insist the PTI, Awami National Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz are running neck-and-neck with each other. In a statement issued here, the ECP said it had set up 269 polling stations across the constituency for 397,952 voters, including 235,127 men and 162,825 women, and declared 182 polling stations the most sensitive and 82 sensitive in light of security situation. It also said electronic voting machines would be used at around 100 polling booths of around 35 polling stations on experimental basis. The ECP said it had also appointed 269 presiding officers and put in place results transmission system at each polling station. It said with the deployment of 7,000 policemen and 1,700 army personnel, strict security arrangements had been made in the constituency.The district administration has announced a public holiday in the constituency for the day. Also on Wednesday, the ECP director general administration and provincial election commissioner visited polling stations in the area to check preparations for the by-election. The ECP empowered all presiding officers to exercise the powers of first class magistrate to prevent any untoward incident. Also during the day, the city police held a meeting at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines to discuss security arrangements for the by-election. SSP (operations) Sajjad Khan chaired the meeting, which was attended by relevant police officials. A statement issued here said the SSP directed the officials to ensure peace on the polling day and said presiding officers and police officers would not use mobile phone in polling stations during voting. He said special cards would be issued to all police personnel deployed for election duty, while in case of any eventuality, rapid response force personnel would rush to the area. The deputy commissioner of Peshawar banned display and carrying of weapons, and plying of unregistered and applied-for vehicles in NA-4 for 30 days. He also banned the use of cellphone on the premises of polling station in the constituency for a day. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Alliance for the Inclusive Elections, a group of civil society organisations, on Wednesday complained that only five percent of the NA-4 polling stations met the essential accessibility criteria. In a statement issued here ahead of the NA-4 by-election, the PAIE said the accessibility audit of the constituency showed implied that the people with disabilities and elderly and sick people won’t be able to make it to the 95 percent of the polling stations in Thursday by-polls. It also said 42 percent of polling stations didn’t have a firm and obstacle-free passage leading to the building, while 75 percent buildings didn’t provide level access to the entrance of polling stations. The PAIE asked the ECP to take corrective measures. Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2017
Newspaper: Dawn
Newspaper Link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1366363
ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Wednesday decided to conduct fresh delimitation of constituencies and said the proposed increase in the number of seats of the national and provincial assemblies would be decided in parliament. The issue of an increase in the number of legislatures’ seats was thoroughly discussed in the second consecutive meeting of the cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. “The meeting decided to introduce a bill in the National Assembly ‘that the house may consider proposed increase in the number of seats in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies’ because parliament is the best forum to decide the matter,” a cabinet member told Dawn after the meeting. Proposed increase in number of assemblies’ seats to be decided in parliament According to an official press release, the cabinet decided to place the delimitation bill before the National Assembly for debate and consideration. Earlier, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics gave a presentation to the cabinet on the recently-conducted census. The delimitation of constituencies of national and provincial assemblies is mandatory under the fresh census. Advertisement “We will present zero-proposal bill on the basis of fresh census to let parliament decide whether the seats of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies should be increased or not,” the cabinet member said. The member said the prime minister had sought opinion from each member of the cabinet and was of the view that the issue should be debated in parliament so that whatever decision taken by it could be implemented. He said that since a constitutional amendment was required with a two-thirds majority to increase the number of the seats, the matter should be decided with consensus. “The government does not want to propose anything on it because if it does so, people will say it has already prepared its mind on the issue,” he added. “If parliament agrees to enhance the number of seats, we will discuss options how to make it.” At the last cabinet meeting, the prime minister had sought suggestions from the cabinet members on the proposed increase in the number of seats of parliament on the basis of provisional results of the population census-2017. A majority of the cabinet members opposed the idea of increasing the number of general seats in the National Assembly from 272, terming it unnecessary under the present political and economic situation. A few cabinet members, however, were of the view that the number of seats should be increased to 300, keeping in view the massive increase in the country’s population. At present there are 272 general seats and 70 reserved for women and minorities in the 342-member National Assembly. The increase in the number of seats of the national and provincial assemblies was last made by former military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf before the 2002 general elections. The seats were increased through an amendment to the Constitution, which was later endorsed by parliament through the 17th Constitution Amendment. Under the laws, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is empowered to carry out delimitation of constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies as well as local bodies. However, a fresh legislation is required to allow the ECP to do so on the basis of the census results. The next elections are scheduled to be held on May 31. The ECP has already warned the government that the time is running out for fresh delimitation of constituencies ahead of the 2018 elections and that it will not be possible for the commission to carry out the exercise in a short period since the final results of the census are expected to be announced sometime in April next year. The ECP has also warned that legality of the general elections without delimitation could be questioned. Political experts see the cabinet decision on the delimitation of constituencies as an apparent move to settle the controversy over the census data by the Sindh government and some political parties. In August, the Council of Common Interests (CCI) had approved the provisional results of the sixth census that put the country’s population at 207.77 million with an annual growth rate of 2.4 per cent. The cabinet approved the establishment of a drug court in Quetta and appointment of Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar as Judge Special of Appellate Court under Section 46(1) of the Prevention of Smuggling Act, 1977, in Sindh. It also approved the appointment of the information technology secretary as chairman of the Management Board of National Telecommunication Corporation. The cabinet also assented to the reconstitution of the Board of Governors of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC). It accorded ex-post facto approval to initiate negotiations and for signing of an agreement on scientific exchange and cooperation between PARC and Lanzhou University of China. Proposed amendments to the Rules of Origin under the Malaysia-Pakistan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement were also approved. The cabinet approved the signing of an MoU between the government of Mozambique and the government of Pakistan in defence domain. It accorded approval to the signing of Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income between Pakistan and Bulgaria. The cabinet also approved extension in deputation period of Mr Bebu Ram, deputy chief engineer of Sui Southern Gas Company Limited, Karachi. Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2017
PESHAWAR: All is set for the crucial by-election for a Peshawar National Assembly constituency, NA-4, today (Thursday), which many observers consider as a litmus test for the popularity of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government in the province. The seat had fallen vacant after the death of dissident PTI MNA Gulzar Khan on Aug 28. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, 14 candidates representing both major and minor political parties are in the running for the seat. The election campaign ended at midnight on Tuesday amid hectic efforts from all parties to woo voters. Advertisement Analysts insist PTI, ANP, PML-N are neck and neck On Wednesday, political parties set up camps in the constituency to facilitate voters, while a large number of media teams reached the city to cover the election, which many take as a test of the ruling PTI’s popularity with the government completing its five-year term in few months. Political pundits insist the PTI, Awami National Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz are running neck-and-neck with each other. In a statement issued here, the ECP said it had set up 269 polling stations across the constituency for 397,952 voters, including 235,127 men and 162,825 women, and declared 182 polling stations the most sensitive and 82 sensitive in light of security situation. It also said electronic voting machines would be used at around 100 polling booths of around 35 polling stations on experimental basis. The ECP said it had also appointed 269 presiding officers and put in place results transmission system at each polling station. It said with the deployment of 7,000 policemen and 1,700 army personnel, strict security arrangements had been made in the constituency.The district administration has announced a public holiday in the constituency for the day. Also on Wednesday, the ECP director general administration and provincial election commissioner visited polling stations in the area to check preparations for the by-election. The ECP empowered all presiding officers to exercise the powers of first class magistrate to prevent any untoward incident. Also during the day, the city police held a meeting at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines to discuss security arrangements for the by-election. SSP (operations) Sajjad Khan chaired the meeting, which was attended by relevant police officials. A statement issued here said the SSP directed the officials to ensure peace on the polling day and said presiding officers and police officers would not use mobile phone in polling stations during voting. He said special cards would be issued to all police personnel deployed for election duty, while in case of any eventuality, rapid response force personnel would rush to the area. The deputy commissioner of Peshawar banned display and carrying of weapons, and plying of unregistered and applied-for vehicles in NA-4 for 30 days. He also banned the use of cellphone on the premises of polling station in the constituency for a day. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Alliance for the Inclusive Elections, a group of civil society organisations, on Wednesday complained that only five percent of the NA-4 polling stations met the essential accessibility criteria. In a statement issued here ahead of the NA-4 by-election, the PAIE said the accessibility audit of the constituency showed implied that the people with disabilities and elderly and sick people won’t be able to make it to the 95 percent of the polling stations in Thursday by-polls. It also said 42 percent of polling stations didn’t have a firm and obstacle-free passage leading to the building, while 75 percent buildings didn’t provide level access to the entrance of polling stations. The PAIE asked the ECP to take corrective measures. Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2017
PESHAWAR: Out of the total 269 polling stations set up for the NA-4 by-polls, 95 per cent lack essential accessibility criteria for people with disabilities [PWDs], elders and sick people, an audit report revealed. The survey, conducted by sister foundation of Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, the Pakistan Alliance for Inclusive Elections [PAIE], through October 16 to October 22, found that only five per cent of the total polling stations were accessible while 42 per cent did not have obstacle free passage leading to the centre. The report, seen by The Express Tribune, also found that 75 per cent of the buildings did not have level access to the entrance – adding that 93 per cent of those without level access also lacked a ramp to facilitate wheelchair users. NA-4 by-polls: Years-long alliance against militants breaks up over political affiliation “In 12 per cent cases protruding objects outside the polling stations cause obstacle on the way while 98 per cent of the entrance gates are far wide enough to clear minimum standard of 32 inches,” the report stated while highlighting that smaller gates were likely to be opened than larger ones on the day of elections. “If the ECP staff does not open larger gates for PWDs then all polling stations will automatically become inaccessible for them.” The study also highlighted poor lighting. “Only 17.5 per cent of the polling stations possess exterior lighting arrangement, leaving 82.5 per cent sampled polling station entrance unlit at the time of low visibility.” NA-4 by-polls: Years-long alliance against militants breaks up over political affiliation While the research revealed 95 per cent of the polling stations do not meet the criteria, it also found that 87 per cent of these building could be modified to meet essential requirements with minor changes such as construction of ramps at entrance, leveling of pathway, removal of protruding objects from inside the building and allowing PWDs to pass through larger gates. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Raja Shoaib Akbar, senior programme manager at CPDI, said the study could help concerned departments to make polling stations accessible for everyone. PAIE members urged the ECP to resonate the changes before general elections 2018.
Newspaper: Express Tribune
Newspaper Link: https://tribune.com.pk/story/1540845
PESHAWAR: Out of the total 269 polling stations set up for the NA-4 by-polls, 95 per cent lack essential accessibility criteria for people with disabilities [PWDs], elders and sick people, an audit report revealed. The survey, conducted by sister foundation of Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, the Pakistan Alliance for Inclusive Elections [PAIE], through October 16 to October 22, found that only five per cent of the total polling stations were accessible while 42 per cent did not have obstacle free passage leading to the centre. The report, seen by The Express Tribune, also found that 75 per cent of the buildings did not have level access to the entrance – adding that 93 per cent of those without level access also lacked a ramp to facilitate wheelchair users. NA-4 by-polls: Years-long alliance against militants breaks up over political affiliation “In 12 per cent cases protruding objects outside the polling stations cause obstacle on the way while 98 per cent of the entrance gates are far wide enough to clear minimum standard of 32 inches,” the report stated while highlighting that smaller gates were likely to be opened than larger ones on the day of elections. “If the ECP staff does not open larger gates for PWDs then all polling stations will automatically become inaccessible for them.” The study also highlighted poor lighting. “Only 17.5 per cent of the polling stations possess exterior lighting arrangement, leaving 82.5 per cent sampled polling station entrance unlit at the time of low visibility.” NA-4 by-polls: Years-long alliance against militants breaks up over political affiliation While the research revealed 95 per cent of the polling stations do not meet the criteria, it also found that 87 per cent of these building could be modified to meet essential requirements with minor changes such as construction of ramps at entrance, leveling of pathway, removal of protruding objects from inside the building and allowing PWDs to pass through larger gates. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Raja Shoaib Akbar, senior programme manager at CPDI, said the study could help concerned departments to make polling stations accessible for everyone. PAIE members urged the ECP to resonate the changes before general elections 2018.
PESHAWAR: In line with the scheduled by-poll in Peshawar’s NA-4 constituency on October 26, Tuesday is the last day for election campaign in the constituency. The Peshawar deputy commissioner has declared October 26 a holiday to facilitate the public. Meanwhile, the ECP has finalised arrangements for the by-election. It will be the first time that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be using electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the by-election. Out of the total 269 polling stations that will be set up for the by-poll, EVMs will be used in over 100 polling booths of 35 polling stations in both urban and rural areas of the constituency. Around 47,255 voters will be facilitated via EVMs to cast their votes in addition to the manual voting process. The constituency comprises of 397,904 registered voters of which 235,164 are male and 162,740 female. A total of six people belonging to political parties and nine independents are competing for the MNA seat. The PTI’s Arbab Amir Ayub will be battling against PPP Asad Gulzar, late incumbent Gulzar Khan’s son, ANP’S Khushdil Khan, former deputy speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and the JI, Wisal Farooq. In addition, Musazai, supported by the JUI-F and the Qaumi Watan Party will be representing PML-N in the by-poll. In addition, the newly formed but unregistered religious-political party, Milli Muslim League (MML) is supporting independent candidate Haji Liaquat Ali Khan in the race. The seat fell vacant due to death of former MNA Gulzar Khan of the PTI in August this year. Khan had alienated himself from party leadership following differences on several issues, however, he chose to remain a member of the party.
Newspaper: Pakistan-Today
Newspaper Link: https://pakvoter.org/content/oct-24-be-last-day-campaign-ahead-peshawar%E2%80%99s-na-4-poll
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised all arrangements for holding bye-election on a vacant seat of National Assembly, NA-4 Peshawar on October 26, in a free, fair, transparent and peaceful manner. According to an ECP official, 15 candidates including six from various political parties and nine independents were contesting election on the seat fell vacant due to death of former MNA Gulzar Khan of PTI in August this year. Candidates of major political parties included Nasir Khan Musazai of Pakistan Muslim League-N, Asad Gulzar Khan of People’s Party, Arbab Amir Ayub of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Khushdil Khan of Awami National Party. He said that the constituency had total 397,904 registered voters, out of which 235,164 were male while 162,740 were female voters. He said that total 269 polling stations including 147 male, 111 female and 11 combined polling stations have been set up for bye-election. In total 837 polling booths, 492 male and 345 female had been set up by the ECP, he added. He said that 269 presiding officer, 837 assistant presiding officers and 837 polling officers would discharge their duties on the polling day. He said that the commission would use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Peshawar by-election on trial basis in 39 polling stations. He said that services of operators would be hired to assist the voters. He added the processing time of casting one vote through these machines would take 20 seconds. He said this new technology was being introduced in by-election to examine the performance and functioning of the machines and to record voters’ problems in using this technology. He said that there would be no effect on the result of by-election with use of these machines as this was just a pilot project. He said that the commission would compile its report after use of these machines in Peshawar by-election and submit it to the parliament, adding that under Article 103 of new election act 2017, EVM machines would be used as pilot project.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Monday restored the membership of 31 parliamentarians after submission of their statements of assets and liabilities. According to an ECP official, those whose membership was restored, included 10 members of the National Assembly, eight members of the Punjab Assembly, five members of the Sindh Assembly, four members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and four members of the Balochistan Assembly. The ECP had ceased the membership of the parliamentarians for not submitting yearly statements of assets and liabilities of their own, spouses and dependents, he added. He said presently there were total 1,174 parliamentarians, including 104 senators, 342 members of the National Assembly, 371 members of the Punjab Assembly, 168 members of the Sindh Assembly, 124 members of the KP Assembly and 65 members of the Balochistan Assembly. He said still eight seats were lying vacant in the Senate, and national and provincial assemblies. He said it was a mandatory requirement under Section 42-A of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 and Section 25-A of the Senate (Election) Act, 1975 that those parliamentarians who fail to submit yearly statements of assets and liabilities, would be suspended from respective seats of Senate or national and provincial assemblies.
PESHAWAR: In line with the scheduled by-poll in Peshawar’s NA-4 constituency on October 26, Tuesday is the last day for election campaign in the constituency. The Peshawar deputy commissioner has declared October 26 a holiday to facilitate the public. Meanwhile, the ECP has finalised arrangements for the by-election. It will be the first time that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be using electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the by-election. Out of the total 269 polling stations that will be set up for the by-poll, EVMs will be used in over 100 polling booths of 35 polling stations in both urban and rural areas of the constituency. Around 47,255 voters will be facilitated via EVMs to cast their votes in addition to the manual voting process. The constituency comprises of 397,904 registered voters of which 235,164 are male and 162,740 female. A total of six people belonging to political parties and nine independents are competing for the MNA seat. The PTI’s Arbab Amir Ayub will be battling against PPP Asad Gulzar, late incumbent Gulzar Khan’s son, ANP’S Khushdil Khan, former deputy speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and the JI, Wisal Farooq. In addition, Musazai, supported by the JUI-F and the Qaumi Watan Party will be representing PML-N in the by-poll. In addition, the newly formed but unregistered religious-political party, Milli Muslim League (MML) is supporting independent candidate Haji Liaquat Ali Khan in the race. The seat fell vacant due to death of former MNA Gulzar Khan of the PTI in August this year. Khan had alienated himself from party leadership following differences on several issues, however, he chose to remain a member of the party.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised all arrangements for holding bye-election on a vacant seat of National Assembly, NA-4 Peshawar on October 26, in a free, fair, transparent and peaceful manner. According to an ECP official, 15 candidates including six from various political parties and nine independents were contesting election on the seat fell vacant due to death of former MNA Gulzar Khan of PTI in August this year. Candidates of major political parties included Nasir Khan Musazai of Pakistan Muslim League-N, Asad Gulzar Khan of People’s Party, Arbab Amir Ayub of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Khushdil Khan of Awami National Party. He said that the constituency had total 397,904 registered voters, out of which 235,164 were male while 162,740 were female voters. He said that total 269 polling stations including 147 male, 111 female and 11 combined polling stations have been set up for bye-election. In total 837 polling booths, 492 male and 345 female had been set up by the ECP, he added. He said that 269 presiding officer, 837 assistant presiding officers and 837 polling officers would discharge their duties on the polling day. He said that the commission would use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Peshawar by-election on trial basis in 39 polling stations. He said that services of operators would be hired to assist the voters. He added the processing time of casting one vote through these machines would take 20 seconds. He said this new technology was being introduced in by-election to examine the performance and functioning of the machines and to record voters’ problems in using this technology. He said that there would be no effect on the result of by-election with use of these machines as this was just a pilot project. He said that the commission would compile its report after use of these machines in Peshawar by-election and submit it to the parliament, adding that under Article 103 of new election act 2017, EVM machines would be used as pilot project.
Newspaper: Pakistan-Today
Newspaper Link: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/10/24
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Monday restored the membership of 31 parliamentarians after submission of their statements of assets and liabilities. According to an ECP official, those whose membership was restored, included 10 members of the National Assembly, eight members of the Punjab Assembly, five members of the Sindh Assembly, four members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and four members of the Balochistan Assembly. The ECP had ceased the membership of the parliamentarians for not submitting yearly statements of assets and liabilities of their own, spouses and dependents, he added. He said presently there were total 1,174 parliamentarians, including 104 senators, 342 members of the National Assembly, 371 members of the Punjab Assembly, 168 members of the Sindh Assembly, 124 members of the KP Assembly and 65 members of the Balochistan Assembly. He said still eight seats were lying vacant in the Senate, and national and provincial assemblies. He said it was a mandatory requirement under Section 42-A of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 and Section 25-A of the Senate (Election) Act, 1975 that those parliamentarians who fail to submit yearly statements of assets and liabilities, would be suspended from respective seats of Senate or national and provincial assemblies.
Newspaper: Pakistan-Today
Newspaper Link: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/10/24/assets-detail-ecp-restores-membership-of-31-parliamentarians/
PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised all arrangements for the use of electronic voting machines (EVM) as pilot test in NA-4 Peshawar by-elections. Islamabad ECP Information Technology (IT) Director General (DG) Muhammad Khizar Aziz held a demo of the EVM for reporters belonging to different media organisations. On the occasion, DG Khizar Aziz said that the use of technology in the electoral process was a revolutionary step of the ECP towards ensuring transparency and accuracy, while also facilitating voters in the system. He requested all stakeholders to join hands with the election commission in conducting the coming general elections in accordance with the expectations of the people of the country. He stressed upon the contesting candidates of NA-4 to educate voters regarding the use of the new EVM technology, the lack of which would otherwise have a negative impact on the official results. He further said that around 100 voting machines would be used in NA-4 by-election as a pilot project in 100 polling booths of 35 polling stations for the first time in the history of the country. The political candidates hailed the efforts of the ECP for introducing the EVM to make voting process simple and effective. On the other hand, candidates were informed by the officials concerned that this pilot project would have no effects on the traditional voting procedure, and official results would be tested on pilot basis only.
Newspaper: Pakistan-Today
Newspaper Link: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/10/19/electronic-voting-machines-to-make-a-debut-in-na-4-by-elections/
