Vote for ‘constitutional package’

[ghazi52]

After PTI, BNP-M claims lawmakers under pressure to vote for ‘constitutional package’​

Nadir Guramani
September 14, 2024

In this file photo, BNP-M chief Akhtar Mengal speaks at the National Press Club in Quetta. — White Star

The chief of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), Akhtar Mengal, has claimed that two senators of his party were being “pressurised” to vote in favour of a highly anticipated “constitutional package”.

The “constitutional package” is a set of proposed amendments to the Constitution that aims to — among other things — fix the tenure of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) at three years.

With sessions of both houses of the parliament summoned this evening (Saturday) with only an hour’s gap, the legislation seems set to be introduced in the parliament today.

A constitutional amendment is passed or rejected through open ballot, in which those who go against their parties’ stance cannot conceal their vote.

While speaking to DawnNewsTV programme Doosra Rukh on Friday, the BNP-M leader said that the houses of two of his party’s senators were being raided.

“There is Senator Muhammad Qasim whose house was raided and even now, in Karachi, intelligence agencies’ cars are patrolling his house,” Mengal alleged.

“Our second senator Nasima Ehsaan has said that her relatives and her husband are being pressurised,” he added.

He said Ehsaan was threatened that her property would be confiscated, adding that the government was only having “this kind of communication” with the party.

“But no formal communication took place,” the BNP-M chief said.

Mengal added that the government wanted to bring about the constitutional amendment by either keeping the people unaware of it or by using force.

Opposition parties — including the PTI, BNP-M and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) — have warned their members that they could be unseated from parliament if they voted in favour of the proposed constitutional package.

Speaking to reporters, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan stated that since there was no cabinet meeting to approve the constitutional package, it could not legally be presented in the National Assembly.

“According to Rules 16 and 27 of the Rules of Business, the government has to move the bill through the parliament and ministry of law and then present it to the cabinet,” Gohar said. “If the cabinet approves the bill, it has to be approved by the PM and be presented to parliament.”

“However, there was no cabinet meeting to approve the bill, nor was it on the agenda,” he argued. “The bill therefore cannot be moved; it is illegal and contravenes the Rules of Business and the Constitution.”

The PTI chairman lamented that the opposition had “demanded that the government make legislation in the open,” but they were not doing that.
Earlier this week, senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser accused the government of using strong-arm tactics to bully its opponents into supporting the constitutional package, hours before before police took the PTI’s top leadership into custody over a case pertaining to its Sept 8 rally.

Speaking on a point of order in the NA on Monday, Qaiser had said his party’s lawmakers were being “coerced” to support the government’s legislative package and asked deputy speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah to intervene.

“We have been receiving complaints from our MNAs. They are constantly receiving threats. They are being coerced to support a legislative package which the government is bringing [to the parliament],” said Qaiser, who had served as the NA speaker during the Imran Khan government.

He had also alleged that some opposition members were being lured with different offers.

 

[ghazi52]

‘Constitutional Package’ set to see light of day​

Syed Irfan Raza
September 14, 2024

• Much-touted legislation aimed at giving country’s top judge a fixed term expected to be tabled today
• NA and Senate summoned on weekend; govt members say amendment may be introduced in upper house first
• Coalition claims to have ‘done its homework’; Fazl’s support seen as holding key to govt’s success

ISLAMABAD: A highly anticipated “Constitutional Package” that aims to — among other things — fix the tenure of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) at three years, seems set to be introduced in parliament today (Saturday).

While on the face of it, it is still not certain whether the ruling coalition has the numbers required to secure the passage of the constitutional amendment — which requires the assent of at least two-thirds of lawmakers — around 224 votes out of a total of 336 members in the lower house. But as of now, it appears that the government is short of at least a dozen votes in both houses.

However, if posturing by government spokespersons is anything to go by, the Shehbaz Sharif administration seems confident it will be able to secure the required numbers of vote to have the amendment passed.

Sessions of both houses of parliament have been summoned this evening (Saturday), with only an hour’s gap. It is unusual for parliament to convene on a weekend, as this usually does not happen outside budget sessions or sitting convened for a specific, time-sensitive issue.

Although the officially issued agenda for the NA session does not include any mention of the amendment, experience has shown that such items are usually laid before the house as part of a supplementary agenda.

Parties in the ruling coalition — including the PML-N, PPP, MQM and others — have directed their members to stay in the capital over the weekend days to ensure their presence in both houses for the passage of the legislation.

Parliamentary party meetings have been held on an almost daily basis since the start of the current session of the National Assembly, ostensibly in a bid to keep an eye on the availability of their members.

To illustrate their seriousness, a source in the PPP told Dawn that PPP MNA Nafisa Shah, who wanted to proceed to her hometown to celebrate birthday of her father, former Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah, on Friday, but was not allowed to leave the federal capital until the conclusion of the session.

Barrister Aqeel Malik, an aide to the PM on legal affairs, claimed on Friday that the bill to turn the position of the CJP into a tenured post will be tabled today (Saturday).

“The bill will be introduced on Saturday and I think it will be tabled first in the Senate and then in the National Assembly,” he added.

Asked whether the government had the support of the required number of legislators, he said that both houses were summoned to meet after the government did its homework thoroughly.

A senator of the ruling PML-N also told Dawn that the bill — referred to in the media as a ‘Constitutional Package’ as it includes amendments to a number of constitutional articles — was likely to be introduced today (Saturday).

“We have been asked to ensure our presence in parliament on these days,” he said.

Asked whether incumbent CJP Qazi Faez Isa would also benefit from the bill’s passage, Barrister Aqeel said that once any legislation became part of the Constitution, it applied to all concerned. However, the CJP’s recent clarification seems to indicate that he was not interested in a ‘person-specific’ change to the law, nor was he onboard for an extension in his tenure.

Despite attempts by opposition parties at enforcing strict discipline among their ranks, it is rumoured that the government had managed to win over some PTI-allied lawmakers who are apparently willing to jump ship to lend their support to the ruling coalition.

The government has also been trying its best to woo JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman — a long-time ally of the Sharifs. If he does indeed lend his support to the ‘Constitutional Package’, the government will be in a commanding position in the Senate, but would still be short of around four to five votes in the National Assembly.

A constitutional amendment is passed or rejected through open ballot, in which those who go against their parties’ stance cannot conceal their vote.

An official of the National Assembly Secretariat said that although the government was apparently short of the number of votes it required, past precedent indicated that the amendments could be passed through some backdoor deals.

He quoted the example of the election of incumbent Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was elected even though the ruling alliance seemingly did not enjoy the support of the required number of senators.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024

 

[ghazi52]

 

[ghazi52]

A Complete Report;
Authored by the O&S Directorate and subsidiary divisions.

THE CONSTITUTION (TWENTY SIXTH AMENDMENT) ACT, 2024:

SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN TO BECOME “THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL COURT”

CHIEF JUSTICES TO BE APPOINTED BY EXECUTIVE, AND LATER LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The complete text of the Constitution (Twenty-Sixth Amendment) Act, 2024 is provided before the report:

Constitution Amendment Bill (Constitution 26th Amendment Act).pdf

drive.google.com

START

From: The Parliament of Pakistan, Lower House (The National Assembly)

State of Pakistan Activity: Law Making, Amendment/Addition to our Constitution, the Order of the State and Republic.

Activity Type: A Constitutional Law to Reform the Judicial Branch of the State of Pakistan and the Independence of Judiciary from Other Branches of Government.

Introducer: The Fifth Sharif Administration, the Prime Ministry of Shehbaz Sharif

Legislative Action: The National Assembly of Pakistan was called to session on Sunday night at near midnight on the 15th September 2024. Urgency was due to the Sharif Administration trying and nearing to achieve the required massive Parliamentary Majority Representation of two-thirds of the entire house to pass a law which amends and adds to our Constitution. However the session was immediately closed, and now scheduled for 1230 Hours today (with delays expected)

Representation: The required votes by lawmakers will represent 66.7% of the entire country, or in our case the law would be the demand of the way of life for well over half of Pakistan’s people.
Or exactly 166 million and 700 thousand Pakistanis.

The Law/Bill to be added to Our Constitution:

The Fifth Sharif Administration and their political/coalition allied political parties are attempting to pass a constitutional amendment which will reform the Apex Court and extend the tenure of the current Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Significance: The amendment, a massive expenditure of political capital by the Sharif Prime Ministerial Administration, is now the foremost legislative goal of the Federal Government of Pakistan and Prime Minister’s Office.

Hence under ideal conditions and assumptions that may or may not reflect reality, it must obviously be the most important legislative matter for our betterment, the average common citizen of the electorate.

What Will Happen If Bill Passes and Becomes Constitution, Or More Simply The Goal of the Government By Introducing The Bill:

1. The seizure of entry by traditional conventional seniority into the top judicial office of the apex court of the land, by the senior-most Judge of the Supreme court,

2. The extension in tenure and delay in retirement so that the incumbent Chief Justice may stay in Office to continue heading the legal proceedings that the Supreme Court is involved in in the last few years.

3. The Executive Branch of Government will be empowered to appoint (President) the first Chief Justice on the Chief Executive’s (Prime Minister’s) advice, with age of retirement set at 68.

4. All other Chief Justices after the first will be appointed by the National Assembly from the three senior-most judges.

These three goals are deemed to be the most important thing for Pakistan and its People by our Government; so much so that it must become a part of our Constitution.

The exact national or public interest declared by the Federal Government that this amendment is providing by addition into the Constitution of Pakistan is unclear to this author at the time of this report’s research assessment and publication.

The Independence of the Judiciary must be upheld. If the Law and Order system of the country becomes compromised; there is no hope for that country functioning as a civilised society and state.

Hence since we have concluded that the Independence of judiciary should be untouchable and above compromise, then it is a logical argument that the Government's clarification on this Bill's purpose and urgency is in support of the judiciary's independence.



ALT

 

[ghazi52]

Additional advisory for Members of National Assembly and other relevant principals:

The prime, foremost goal of a nation-state is to provide the citizens that unite together to form its People an independent way of life according to their choice, hopes and aspirations that is ensured and protected by the State as its sole purpose and objective, and to provide that it is governed with a Government and its institutional branches, that runs the country according to a collection of laws that combine to make up a Constitution, made by the People themselves directly through chosen representatives elected by them to provide governance, taxation and an economic system, all national services and public development, and as such act as the limited electoral term holder of the Offices of the Executive authority of the state, as a public service and to preserve the national order.

A constitutional amendment is the highest form of legislature that a Parliament can enact into law through democratic voting. It is an act of the people’s direct representatives voting into the permanent national order a way of life, that will govern the land of this nation. The Constitution is the Prime Essence and Fundamental Component that gives the State its existence and order. It is a contract between a group of people who want an independent sovereign territory to live together in their choice of life and society, and all of what makes up a country. It is the complete written embodiment of the State.

The legislature, the Parliament and its bicameral houses, is the collective body representing all the People, and is an physical embodiment of the Will of The People, the State’s highest granter of authority. This system of national statehood is called democracy, and is the most successful system of governance ever developed by mankind, if allowed to exist unadulterated in its original form. Democracy always wins over all other forms of governance.

The process of granting the People’s elected representatives a mandate to govern by each single citizen after knowing their electoral manifesto which they believed to the best of their knowledge that would give the People through their own choice the best solution they want for the issues and matters of national interest, and then in Parliament it may be introduced, debated on, revised and passed, signed into law and then can be enacted and enforced into becoming the Law of The Land, a part of our State; and Constitution.

The beauty of democracy. The system of government that is tried, tested and proven that if followed in true letter and spirit, and without intervention, interference and undermining the democratic processes and institutions, then can lift a country up from colonialism to the leading superpower of Human history, i.e. in example the United States of America. Similar is the socioeconomic situation and opportunities for an average adult man in both a newly-independent third world low-income/HDI country and the average newly-American adult man in 1776.

While democratic process of government for the people, by the people, of the People is not smooth and sometimes even rocky in the beginning, it allowed to grow and flourish, can transform societies and territories into global leaders of state power; and economically resource-rich several times greater than any civilisation in human history.

But if not allowed to flourish and democratic rule of the People is violated illegally and wrongly, through either force or through stealing a variety of corrupt use of state power and systems for personal gain, or by deliberately compromising national law, or by imposing a authoritarian order; then the interests and goals, of the entire nation is given over to the wisdom and point of life view of a single human. That one human is no God, and is statistically average, and to err is to be human.

The errors of one human would be transmitted to governance of an entire nation, breaking down into dissolution.

END

 

[Mr X]

I don’t support this constitution court because it’s created with ill intentions.

Having said that, my opinion doesn’t make any difference either.

I also believe if a single political party was not targeted and if the government didn’t introduce this out of the fear of government collapse after the new CJ comes into power. It is not a bad bill altogether.

For example many PTI leaders and senior lawyers of the high court have raised this point in the past for several years that if a full bench hears the constitutional cases, it wastes a lot of time of the Superior court.

For example, if full court of 17 judges hear a case for 7 days, that's equivalent to 119 days, or roughly 4 months of one Supreme Court judge's time being devoted to a single case, regardless of its significance.

In this way, the Supreme Court is expending a substantial amount of resources on constitutional cases, while civilian cases remain pending for years.

So, I see no harm in increasing the number of judges and establishing a court dedicated solely to constitutional matters, allowing civilians uninterrupted access to the Supreme Court.

Only if the intentions of the government were honest, but it is not the right time to support such decision

 

[Olympus81]

What is the motive to give extension to the CJ?

He will help the establishment in keeping IK in jail for another year despite him being exonerated on all counts?

 

[Forsvaret]

What is the motive to give extension to the CJ?

Bughaz e Imran

 

[Mr X]

Bughaz e Imran

Norwegian bro,

I don’t know if I am wrong but I am among those 2% minorities who think slightly differently.

Our Supreme Court has mostly been just regardless of the political affiliations.

For example PML-N criticises Saqib Nisar for verdict against Nawaz Sharif. But the fact is, it was not Saqib Nisar who claimed that Avenfield apartments belongs to Nawaz Sharif family. Nawaz Sharif on the parliament floor tried to justify that he sold a property, I can’t remember exact date now but let’s say he sold a property in 2005 and used this money to buy Avenfield apartments which according to PML-N was bought in 1990s. Then his son says that the apartments are ours and named after my sister. Then the sister says I don’t have a property in Pakistan let alone UK etc. so it was clear that “daal main kuch kala hai”. No matter how you justify it but one can clearly find the elements of corruption in it.

Similarly, I have a strong conviction that PTI has a habit of exaggerating everything. For example if the finger is cut with the nail cutter they will claim like someone chopped their finger. I also feel like they deliberately don’t contest many cases in the court so that they can make a case before public to gain sympathy. I can carry on giving many examples but to keep the post short one recent case was the election symbol case, the mother of many evils.

I was closely following the Supreme Court proceedings when they were live and it was raised before the court that PTI has only conducted one intra-party election in 2014 which led to defection of many leaders back in the days including justice Wajihuddin who said the election were not fair at that time and was the in charge of elections. So since then Imran Khan was reluctant to conduct elections probably fearing a similar chaos will happen. But the PTI constitution says the election will be held after every 5 years, the date could be wrong but it was supposed to be held in 2019 or 202. Imran Khan didn’t conduct elections and 2021 came when the election commission asked PTI to conduct elections as they have missed the deadlines, Imran Khan sought another 12 months as the final extension as he is the prime minister and needs more time to arrange intra-party elections. The ECP granted more time once again but still no elections were held. So some punishment was required for violating the party constitution and when the case came before the Supreme Court, it was not fought properly. In fact when Qazi Faeez isa was asking questions, the PTI lawyer kept saying No to everything where they clearly had many options they could have availed. The worst was when he asked did you file an appeal in the decision and he said No, meaning they had no intentions to challenge this decision to begin with.

What do you do when you don’t contest it properly in the court, don’t provide documents, don’t conduct elections on time, don’t avail the opportunity of extension given by the ecp, don’t even appeal after the case…

This is just to attract sympathy in my humble opinion, feel free to disagree. This is one example but there were many cases discussed in the Supreme Court proceedings, some of them PTI didn’t even send the lawyers and they were saying that they were busy on the different case, then the judge asked, they rescheduled the hearing 4 times and yet nobody appeared before the court and no explanation was given in writing.. and the lawyer kept saying Yes No yes no… as if the intentions were to lose the case

 

[Jango]

I was closely following the Supreme Court proceedings when they were live and it was raised before the court that PTI has only conducted one intra-party election in 2014 which led to defection of many leaders back in the days including justice Wajihuddin who said the election were not fair at that time and was the in charge of elections. So since then Imran Khan was reluctant to conduct elections probably fearing a similar chaos will happen. But the PTI constitution says the election will be held after every 5 years, the date could be wrong but it was supposed to be held in 2019 or 202. Imran Khan didn’t conduct elections and 2021 came when the election commission asked PTI to conduct elections as they have missed the deadlines, Imran Khan sought another 12 months as the final extension as he is the prime minister and needs more time to arrange intra-party elections. The ECP granted more time once again but still no elections were held. So some punishment was required for violating the party constitution and when the case came before the Supreme Court, it was not fought properly. In fact when Qazi Faeez isa was asking questions, the PTI lawyer kept saying No to everything where they clearly had many options they could have availed. The worst was when he asked did you file an appeal in the decision and he said No, meaning they had no intentions to challenge this decision to begin with.

What do you do when you don’t contest it properly in the court, don’t provide documents, don’t conduct elections on time, don’t avail the opportunity of extension given by the ecp, don’t even appeal after the case…

This is just to attract sympathy in my humble opinion, feel free to disagree. This is one example but there were many cases discussed in the Supreme Court proceedings, some of them PTI didn’t even send the lawyers and they were saying that they were busy on the different case, then the judge asked, they rescheduled the hearing 4 times and yet nobody appeared before the court and no explanation was given in writing.. and the lawyer kept saying Yes No yes no… as if the intentions were to lose the case

I have a lot to comment on regarding the timeline of events you presented, but for a second let's suppose what you say is exactly as it is.

To poori party ban kar do? Election symbol lay lo, and do all the other tomfoolery we have been seeing for 3 years?

No matter which way anyone presents the issue, no one can deny that every law, every act, and every article has been violated with no bounds just to keep PTI out of power.

 

[Forsvaret]

Norwegian bro,

I don’t know if I am wrong but I am among those 2% minorities who think slightly differently.

Our Supreme Court has mostly been just regardless of the political affiliations.

For example PML-N criticises Saqib Nisar for verdict against Nawaz Sharif. But the fact is, it was not Saqib Nisar who claimed that Avenfield apartments belongs to Nawaz Sharif family. Nawaz Sharif on the parliament floor tried to justify that he sold a property, I can’t remember exact date now but let’s say he sold a property in 2005 and used this money to buy Avenfield apartments which according to PML-N was bought in 1990s. Then his son says that the apartments are ours and named after my sister. Then the sister says I don’t have a property in Pakistan let alone UK etc. so it was clear that “daal main kuch kala hai”. No matter how you justify it but one can clearly find the elements of corruption in it.

Similarly, I have a strong conviction that PTI has a habit of exaggerating everything. For example if the finger is cut with the nail cutter they will claim like someone chopped their finger. I also feel like they deliberately don’t contest many cases in the court so that they can make a case before public to gain sympathy. I can carry on giving many examples but to keep the post short one recent case was the election symbol case, the mother of many evils.

I was closely following the Supreme Court proceedings when they were live and it was raised before the court that PTI has only conducted one intra-party election in 2014 which led to defection of many leaders back in the days including justice Wajihuddin who said the election were not fair at that time and was the in charge of elections. So since then Imran Khan was reluctant to conduct elections probably fearing a similar chaos will happen. But the PTI constitution says the election will be held after every 5 years, the date could be wrong but it was supposed to be held in 2019 or 202. Imran Khan didn’t conduct elections and 2021 came when the election commission asked PTI to conduct elections as they have missed the deadlines, Imran Khan sought another 12 months as the final extension as he is the prime minister and needs more time to arrange intra-party elections. The ECP granted more time once again but still no elections were held. So some punishment was required for violating the party constitution and when the case came before the Supreme Court, it was not fought properly. In fact when Qazi Faeez isa was asking questions, the PTI lawyer kept saying No to everything where they clearly had many options they could have availed. The worst was when he asked did you file an appeal in the decision and he said No, meaning they had no intentions to challenge this decision to begin with.

What do you do when you don’t contest it properly in the court, don’t provide documents, don’t conduct elections on time, don’t avail the opportunity of extension given by the ecp, don’t even appeal after the case…

This is just to attract sympathy in my humble opinion, feel free to disagree. This is one example but there were many cases discussed in the Supreme Court proceedings, some of them PTI didn’t even send the lawyers and they were saying that they were busy on the different case, then the judge asked, they rescheduled the hearing 4 times and yet nobody appeared before the court and no explanation was given in writing.. and the lawyer kept saying Yes No yes no… as if the intentions were to lose the case

I have a lot to comment on regarding the timeline of events you presented, but for a second let's suppose what you say is exactly as it is.

To poori party ban kar do? Election symbol lay lo, and do all the other tomfoolery we have been seeing for 3 years?

No matter which way anyone presents the issue, no one can deny that every law, every act, and every article has been violated with no bounds just to keep PTI out of power.

PTI conducted intra-party elections in 2016, 2022 and lastly in 2023 as per directions of the ECP. And despite doing all that - it’s the only party of all parties which lost its election symbol a month before general election 2024:

According to the Election Act (2017), intra-party elections must be held within a registered political party, according to its constitution and the time frame stipulated within it. The last elections were held in PTI during June 2016 with the next one to be held on or before 13 June 2021. However, in response to ECP's notice, the party stated that it had failed to hold the elections due to the COVIDpandemic and asked for a year until June 2022. The party conducted its elections on 8 June 2022, but the ECP refused to accept the elections citing lack of provision of a formal certificate for the same.[1][2]

In August 2023, ECP warned PTI to respond to the notices sent to it regarding the conduct of the intra-party elections or lose its electoral symbol.[3] In a final order passed on 23 November 2023, ECP ordered PTI to conduct its intra-party elections within 20 days or become ineligible to retain its electoral symbol. In response, PTI conducted its intra-party election again on 2 December 2023.[4] However, the conduct of the elections were challenged before the ECP by Akbar S. Babar. The commission decided that the elections were not held according to the constitution of the party and decided against letting PTI retain its electoral symbol. PTI termed the order of ECP as "deeply flawed, illegal, biased, and an assault on the integrity of the electoral process.", meanwhile challenging it in both the Lahore High Court and the Peshawar High Court.[5][6]

PTI intra-party elections case - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So - my original comment still stands: Bughaz e Imran!

 

[Mr X]

I have a lot to comment on regarding the timeline of events you presented, but for a second let's suppose what you say is exactly as it is.

To poori party ban kar do? Election symbol lay lo, and do all the other tomfoolery we have been seeing for 3 years?

No matter which way anyone presents the issue, no one can deny that every law, every act, and every article has been violated with no bounds just to keep PTI out of power.

I agree that the establishment has gone way too far and too unfair to justify anything. If I was the Prime Minister, I would personally hang some of these key people in public for treason. I was merely giving my observation that if the chain of events is 20 points against PTI, they announce it as 50.. then PTI bots make it 500 on social media which is too far from reality.

For example when Umar Ata Bandial gave a judgement against Imran Khan government and restored the parliament, PTI fanboys for weeks were busy providing fake evidences on this forum proving that Umar Ata Bandial is a close relative of Nawaz sharif. The end result is, when he started giving judgements in favour of PTI, he retired as someone who gave too many favours to PTI.

The bottom line is when I was watching the discussion between Salman Akram Raja and CJ Qazi Faeez ISA about the election symbol case. It was very different to what we hear in the social media as they often take a different stance in the courts and the television.

CJ asked him, the election commission had file a reference against taking away the symbol of PTI because they were supposed to conduct intra-party election after 5 years. They were reminded in 2019.. but PTI ignored and then ECP did not contact them for about 2 years. Then they were reminded again and Imran Khan asked for a grace period of 12 months as he is the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The ECP allowed it and now the 18 months have passed and no elections are held.

The ECP further alleged that they conducted sham intra-party election by making announcement of posts for Gouhar Khan as the Chairman and Umar Ayoub/Shibla faraz on key posts without conducting any election and that the members of PTI contacted ECP by saying they went to cast a vote but they were told the elections had already been concluded, soon after the start time.

PTI took a stand that they are not the members of PTI and had no right to contest elections or cast a vote. The ECP asked for proof of elections being held and the PTI did not provide any evidence and so the ECP refused to accept these intra-party elections.

That is why Gouhar Khan came on the The TV and said that this time, we will invite the media and the professionals will conduct election so that everyone knows the elections are held. For second election, the result is still unconfirmed by PTI because leaders including Gohar were elected unopposed and there was nobody else standing in the elections.

The PTI took a stand that this is how we have elections in Pakistan and it is normal to have such practices.

I am not defending the judgement of Qazi or PTI, I just gave my observation of what I saw from the Supreme Court proceedings.

Qazi asked Salman Akram Raja that did you file an appeal on the Supreme Court judgement declaring ECP decision of taking away symbol to be correct and he replied No.

The CJ asked did you seek any clarification or legal advice about the matter… and he replied No

And the CJ asked then if the election symbol case was on one point agenda of taking the symbol away. Why did you assume it also means PTI is barred from contesting election as a party as I did not ban PTI. Salman Akram Raja defended by saying the circumstances were such that we assumed that the meaning of taking the symbol away is akin to party getting banned and that is how we were treated by the ECP.

This point was noted by 8 judges who gave a judgement against ECP.

Bye for now

 

[Mr X]

PTI conducted intra-party elections in 2016, 2022 and lastly in 2023 as per directions of the ECP. And despite doing all that - it’s the only party of all parties which lost its election symbol a month before general election 2024:

PTI intra-party elections case - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So - my original comment still stands: Bughaz e Imran!

Can you give more details about the intra-party elections of 2016?

If they were held in 2013/14 then why again in 2016? It could be that their constitution states election after 3 years instead of 5.. as it will match the periods if its 3 years

 

[Mr X]

PTI conducted intra-party elections in 2016, 2022 and lastly in 2023 as per directions of the ECP. And despite doing all that - it’s the only party of all parties which lost its election symbol a month before general election 2024:

PTI intra-party elections case - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So - my original comment still stands: Bughaz e Imran!

Oh are you saying Bughaz-e-Imran to me?

Well I feel pity for him, why will I have a bughaz for someone who came into power for Riyasat-e-Madina and the will to convert the PM house into university and was apparently too busy selling the gifts of TashaKhana.

I think he wasn’t so immune to the charm of this position but it is okay as we only have a history of mediocre leaders from both politics and establishment.

 

[Forsvaret]

Oh are you saying Bughaz-e-Imran to me?

No, not you of course. It’s the entire power structure in Pakistan working against Imran Khan since he entered politics in 1996. His former wife Jemima Khan was forced to leave Pakistan on fake tiles case - which was registered against her by none other than that Patwari donkey Nawaz Sharif:

Jemima charged with smuggling antiques

LAHORE, Jan 12: Cricket star-turned politician Imran Khan accused the government of political victimisation today after customs officials charged his wife with smuggling of antiques tiles, reports AP. British-born Jemima Khan, the daughter of the late British millionaire businessman James...

www.thedailystar.net

Imagine that! Daughter of a billionaire in British pounds charged for smuggling - only because a Shareef Aadmi like Imran Khan dared to enter politics against the corrupt and criminal political elite!

Same old corrupt and Kuttay methods are now being used to implicate Imran Khan and his current wife in hundreds of bogus cases such as Toshakhana - because this time - he dared to challenge the snake’s head (establishment) itself!