News Analysis India

Tag: Pakistan Elections 2024

  • Pakistan Elections 2024: With No Clear Winner In Sight, Political Parties Begin ‘Wheeling And Dealing’ world news

    Islamabad: The recent elections in Pakistan have left the political landscape in uncertainty, with no clear winner emerging as the counting of votes nears completion. Despite the lack of a decisive outcome, major political parties have already begun negotiations and discussions in an attempt to secure enough support to form governments at both the national and provincial levels.

    PML-N Takes Initiative

    Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has assigned his brother, former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to initiate talks with key parties like the PPP and MQM-P to explore possibilities of forming alliances.

    Previous Coalition Dynamics

    Interestingly, the PML-N and PPP were previously part of the ruling coalition government following Imran Khan’s removal in April 2022. However, tensions between the two parties escalated during the election campaign, complicating the path to coalition-building.

    Independent Candidates In The Lead

    Preliminary results suggest that independent candidates, largely supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), are leading on a significant number of seats. This has added complexity to the political equation, requiring parties to negotiate and strategize effectively.

    Coalition Building Efforts

    Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly met with PPP leaders – Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto – at the residence of Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi to discuss the election results and potential post-election scenarios, indicating a willingness to explore coalition possibilities.

    MQM-P’s Exploring All Options

    The MQM-P, initially inclined to support Nawaz Sharif, is reassessing its options in light of the electoral outcomes. The party’s convener, Siddiqui has extended invitations to independent candidates to join forces, signaling a shift in strategy.

    Delay In Declaring Election Results

    While political manoeuvring unfolds, concerns have been raised regarding the fairness of the electoral process. Criticisms from international actors, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, highlight issues such as violence, alleged lack of fairness, and disruptions like internet outages during the voting process.

    Imran Khan’s Victory Speech

    Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, despite facing criticism over the handling of the elections, has released a statement claiming victory, citing a high voter turnout as evidence of the failure of his opponents’ strategies. In his AI-enabled voice, Khan said that the ‘London Plan’ of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif failed with the massive turnout of voters on polling day.

    In a related development, Imran Khan was granted bail in 12 cases related to the May 9 riots by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi, according to The Express Tribune. Additionally, Khan’s close aide and the former foreign minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmud Qureshi was also granted bail in 13 cases, the daily reported.

    Imran was also granted bail in the GHQ and Army Museum attacks, with the court requiring a PKR0.1 million surety bond in all 12 cases. The bail applications were considered by ATC Judge Malik Ejaz Asif. The court ruled that there was no rationale for keeping the PTI founder in custody, and all suspects in the May 9 cases were granted bail.

    With no clear winner emerging from the elections, Pakistan finds itself in a phase of political uncertainty and negotiation, as parties strive to form viable coalitions amid concerns about the electoral process’s integrity.

  • Explained: Nawaz Sharif Or Bilawal Bhutto – Who Is Better Or India-Pakistan Relation | world news

    New Delhi: Pakistan is holding its 12th national general elections today on February 8, to elect a new government amid multiple crises. The country of 241 million people, which possesses nuclear weapons, faces political and economic turmoil, as well as the threat of terrorism. The outcome of the elections will have implications for Pakistan’s relations with India, its neighbor and rival.

    The main contenders in the Pakistan elections are Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). PML-N is expected to be the largest party, followed by PPP, PTI, and other parties.

    Imran Khan, the former prime minister, is still in prison, while Nawaz Sharif is seen as the frontrunner for the top job. PTI is running without its famous cricket ‘bat’ symbol, after the Supreme Court confirmed the election commission’s decision to take it away.

    How India Views Pakistan Elections?

    India, which is also heading for its Lok Sabha elections by May, could pose more problems for Pakistan’s new government if the Narendra Modi-led government wins a strong majority. New Delhi has been keeping a close watch on its neighbour’s activities before the elections, especially the role of the Pakistan Army in picking the next prime minister.

    India has repeatedly expressed its worries about Pakistan’s continued support for terrorism, leading the Narendra Modi-led government to take a tougher approach on national security issues.

    Army’s Blessing For Nawaz Sharif

    The Pakistan Army’s sway over the country’s politics is well-known, with accusations of election rigging to favor its chosen candidates. In the 2018 elections, the Pakistan Army effectively “picked” Imran Khan, a former cricket star-turned-politician, to replace Nawaz Sharif as the leader of the PML(N).

    Imran Khan became the prime minister after Nawaz Sharif’s conviction, but Nawaz Sharif was later allowed to leave the country, and came back in October 2023, when all of a sudden all the cases against him disappeared. Experts have suggested that this time, Nawaz Sharif has the army’s support.

    In the Pakistan election 2024, Pakistan Army chief general Asim Munir will strengthen his control over the political leadership of the country. The elections are important as for the first time in Pakistan’s history, the popularity of a civilian leader (Imran Khan) challenged the army’s dominance.

    Experts’ Take On Pak Elections

    Former Indian diplomat KP Fabian has said that the elections in Pakistan will be neither free nor fair, and that the real power will be held by the army chief. He said that whoever becomes prime minister, the army chief will have the final say. He also said that Pakistan is in deep disarray politically, economically, and socially because of terrorism.

    He criticized the imprisonment of Imran Khan and his wife, saying that the charges against him do not stand scrutiny. He also said that the justice system in Pakistan has disappeared.

    Meanwhile, Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria has said that the elections are the most predictable and the most rigged, because the army is manipulating the process to get the government it wants. He said that it is widely expected that Nawaz Sharif and his PML-N party will be the army’s choice. He said that this is fairly accurate.

  • Pakistan: Yet Another Relief To Nawaz Sharif, Daughter Maryam Ahead Of General Elections | world news

    LAHORE: After securing swift relief from Pakistani courts in different corruption cases since his return from exile, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday got another one as the national anti-graft body closed a major corruption investigation against him and his daughter Maryam Nawaz. The development comes ahead of the February 8 general elections in Pakistan where Sharif, chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party is being considered as a front-runner for a record fourth as the prime minister.

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) announced closing a mega corruption probe against 74-year-old Nawaz Sharif and his other family members in the Sharif Trust case. “The NAB’s executive board today approved the closure of a corruption probe against PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif and other family members in the Sharif Trust case,” an NAB spokesperson said.

    The investigation against the Sharif family into the Sharif Trust case was launched in 2000 over allegations of receiving millions of rupees in funds in the Sharif Trust through illegal means. Nawaz and his family members were also accused of misappropriation of funds and making property by using the name of the Trust.

    Since his October 2023 return from the UK, where he spent four years in self-exile, Nawaz Sharif has been acquitted in Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases, in which he was convicted for 10 and seven years respectively. Earlier on Monday, Nawaz became eligible to contest next month’s general elections after the Supreme Court struck down a lifetime ban on lawmakers under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution for not being honest and righteous.

    Nawaz was handed down a lifetime ban by the apex court in the Panama Papers case. He is contesting on two national assembly seats — one in Lahore and the other in Mansahra. The PML-N has hailed the decision of the Supreme Court over lifetime disqualification as a step towards restoration of constitutional sanity.

    “History has vindicated three-time premier Nawaz Sharif and restored his honour. The provision of lifetime disqualification was an instrument created for one reason and one agenda to exclude Nawaz from politics forever,” PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a statement. “The architects of this sinister provision in the law should be held accountable for adulterating the Constitution which was the highest level of offense in the Islamic republic,” she added.