Imran Khan-backed candidates lead in Pakistan election after over half the seats counted

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People watch latest election results live on a television at a shop, a day after Pakistan's national elections in Lahore on February 9, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 10 February 2024
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Imran Khan-backed candidates lead in Pakistan election after over half the seats counted

  • As of 11:50pm, independents had bagged 98 out of 241 seats counted, Sharif’s PMLN party got 67
  • Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led PPP got 51 seats, voting was held for total 265 National Assembly seats

Islamabad/Peshawar: Independent candidates, most of them backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, had won the most seats in Pakistan’s general election by Friday evening, official results from the Election Commission showed, as counting continued a day after polls marred by militant attacks and the suspension of mobile phone services.

As of 11:50pm on Friday, independents had bagged 98 out of 241 seats counted so far while ex-premier Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party got 67, followed by the Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) bagging 51 seats.

Votes were held for 265 national assembly seats. A party needs 133 seats for a simple majority. 

But despite being in the lead, the PTI complained late results showed manipulation and rigging had taken place in constituencies where candidates affiliated with the party had congested. 

As per election laws, results had to be announced by 2am on Friday, nine hours after polling closed, with a delay of until 10am allowed in extenuating circumstances.

But as of Friday evening, the results of over a hundred seats were yet to be released, raising widespread concerns about manipulation and meddling in counting. 

“The results of our winning candidates are being altered, though the fact is our party has won a majority in Punjab and KP [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa] provinces,” PTI secretary-information Raoof Hassan told reporters at a press conference at the party’s central secretariat. 

“We have already started meetings to discuss the ways to form our governments” at the center and the two provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said. 

In a video message, Barrister Gohar Khan, the chairman of the PTI, said his party was winning more than 150 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan’s parliament.

“According to the record right now which the polling agents have sent us or the Form 45 we have received, we have a majority on 150-plus [national] seats all over the country,” Gohar said. “Similarly, we have a majority in KP [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa] too. So, God willing, we will make the next government, be it in the federation, in Punjab or in KP.”

Independent members cannot form a government on their own under Pakistan’s election system which also includes reserved seats that will be allotted to parties based on their winnings. But independent members have the option to join any party after the elections.

In this case, most of the independent candidates are from Khan’s PTI, and were forced to contest as independents after the party was stripped of its iconic ‘bat’ symbol ahead of polls over not holding intra-party elections, a legal requirement. PTI candidates thus had to contest as independents, each with a different election symbol, which the party had feared would become a source of confusion for voters in a country where over 40 percent of the population is illiterate. 

The PTI-backed independents will now have a choice to join a party three days after the official notification of their victories.

“MEDDLING”

Analysts have also raised concerns over the ECP missing its deadlines for the announcement of results, saying further delays would lead to more allegations of result-tampering in an already tainted election.

“The delay in results is catastrophic for the credibility of the results of the election,” Mosharraf Zaidi, a political analyst, told Arab News. “It is hard to imagine the election day itself having been better managed and hard to imagine the vote tallying having been worse managed.”

Salahuddin Safder, a spokesperson of the FAFEN election observer group, said the delay in the announcement of results “remained a concern” though the body’s observers had witnessed no major issues during polling. 

“We did not receive many results till the first deadline of 2am and [the ECP] even missed the second deadline given in the law which is 10am next morning after the polls,” he said.

In the run-up to the polls, Khan’s PTI complained of a state-backed crackdown against the party, including not being allowed to campaign freely. 

Khan, arguably the central pole of Pakistani politics, was missing from Thursday’s elections, as he has been in jail since August last year and is also disqualified from running for public office for ten years. 

The former premier was convicted in three back-to-back cases the week before polls and faces dozens of other legal challenges, including one case in which he is accused of ordering violent attacks on military installations on May 9, 2023, which could entail the death sentence. 

Khan says all the cases are politically motivated to sideline him and his party from elections.

Hassan said the PTI would use “all legal avenues” to get justice against rigging, reminding that the party had already endured “state oppression” and witnessed “historic pre-poll rigging.” 

“We have won this election against the backdrop of all this brutal state crackdown,” Hassan said, praising the public for showing “resilience and courage” to come out despite the odds and vote for PTI in large numbers.

“KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA”

KP, which witnessed a spike in militancy in the run-up to polls, was ruled by Khan’s party from 2013 till 2023, when the PTI prematurely dissolved its provincial government, just like it did in Punjab, in January 2023 to force early national elections.

Prior to the PTI, the province was governed by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of religio-political parties, from 2002 till 2007, and after that by a coalition government of the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) from 2008-2013.

In its electoral history, no party except the PTI has won two consecutive terms in KP. In 2024 again, PTI-backed candidates appear to be faring well in the province.

In the provincial capital of Peshawar, Khan supporters impatiently awaited the results of Thursday’s vote.

“I am so excited that the PTI will [once again] form the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan,” Naveed Ahmad, 28, told Arab News on Friday.

“Imran Khan has done good by the nation, especially the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said, referring to a health insurance scheme introduced by Khan’s government.

Ikram Khattana, the PTI’s KP social media head, expressed his satisfaction over a majority of results of Thursday’s polls, but said the party would challenge the results in constituencies where they had concerns.

“We will try to go to courts on a few results on which we have reservations in different parts of the province,” he said. “We are so happy that the PTI voter showed up and stood united during a hard time for the PTI.”

Analysts say the PTI-backed candidates had gotten a sympathy vote.

“In 2013, the PTI won elections because the people of the province were tired of dynastic politics. This time, the PTI has got the vote of sympathy, that it is facing a crackdown,” said Lehaz Ali, a Peshawar-based journalist.

“The PTI also cashed in on the anti-establishment narrative which is popular in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”


Pakistani PM says 7 million at risk from flooding in glacial lakes 

Updated 22 sec ago
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Pakistani PM says 7 million at risk from flooding in glacial lakes 

  • Pakistan boasts over 7,000 glaciers, one of the highest totals for any country in the world 
  • 2022 floods killed 1,700 people and affected more than 33 million, with economic losses over $30 billion

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday over 3,000 lakes had been formed in Pakistan due to accelerated glacial melt, posing an increased risk of flooding and putting the lives of over seven million people at risk. 

Sharif was addressing a ceremony in connection with steps taken for the protection of glaciers in Baku where leaders of nearly 200 nations have gathered for COP29 climate talks this week. 

“Accelerated glacial melt has led to the formation of more than 3,000 glacial lakes in the northern part of Pakistan, beautiful though but at the same time posing great threat,” Sharif said in a speech. 

“It is estimated that out of these, 33 are at high risk of outburst flooding, putting at risk the lives of over 7 million people. This is a very grave situation and demands urgent action and now.”

The UN defines Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) as sudden events that can occur when glaciers melt and release millions of cubic meters of water and debris. In Pakistan, GLOFs can be a threat to the lives and livelihoods of people living in remote mountain areas, especially in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Outside the polar region, Pakistan is the country with the highest number of glaciers in the world at over 7,000. However, a combination of climate change and air pollution, including from neighboring countries like India and China, has significantly contributed to the rapid melting of these glaciers, causing devastating floods that have affected Pakistan’s people, livelihoods and the economy.

In 2022, the country experienced an unprecedented deluge and unexpected monsoon rainfall. It resulted in one-third of the nation being submerged and claiming the lives of 1,700 people.

Pakistan estimates the floods affected more than 33 million people, mainly in the Sindh and Baluchistan provinces, and caused economic losses that exceeded $30 billion.


IMF delegation in Pakistan, discusses ‘key benchmarks’ of $7 billion loan program — official 

Updated 8 min 58 sec ago
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IMF delegation in Pakistan, discusses ‘key benchmarks’ of $7 billion loan program — official 

  • IMF has said Porter’s visit is not part of the first review of loan program
  • First review not scheduled to take place before the first quarter of 2025

ISLAMABAD: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation is in Islamabad this week and will hold discussions with top Pakistani officials on the “key benchmarks” of a $7 billion loan program approved in September, a finance ministry official said on Tuesday.

The IMF delegation led by Pakistan mission chief Nathan Porter arrived in Islamabad on Monday on an unplanned visit. The team is expected to hold meetings until Friday with top officials from ministries such as finance and energy and the Federal Board of Revenue, the main tax collection agency, to collect data on “loan program performance to date,” a finance ministry official told Arab News, seeking anonymity. 

The IMF has said Porter’s visit is not part of the first review of the loan program, which is not scheduled to take place before the first quarter of 2025. 

“Some key benchmarks of the loan program will come under discussion during the meetings, as Islamabad faces some revenue shortfall and a recent botched attempt to privatize the Pakistan International Airlines,” the finance ministry official said. 

“Matters like external financing gap and reforms in the energy sector are also expected to be discussed with the IMF delegation.”

The IMF reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan in July for a 37-month $7 billion bailout package, which the Fund’s Executive Board approved in September. This was the 25th loan program that Pakistan has obtained since 1958.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the ministry of finance said a delegation led by Porter had an “initial meeting” with finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervez Malik, Governor State Bank Jameel Ahmed, Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and senior finance ministry officials were also present in the meeting, the ministry said.

Islamabad secured the bailout loan, critical to keeping its $350 billion fragile economy afloat, after taking painful measures such as hiking fuel and food prices and implementing reforms to broaden the country’s tax base and privatize state-owned entities.

“INTERIM CHECKS”

Pakistan’s macroeconomic conditions and investor sentiment have improved in recent months, which analysts say has led to a bullish trend in the country’s stock market.

Syed Atif Zafar, the chief economist at Topline Securities, said the IMF delegation’s meetings with Pakistani officials were part of “interim checks” to ensure a successful review of the loan facility next year. 

“The government failed to achieve the tax revenue target in the first quarter that has perhaps necessitated this IMF visit, but still the authorities have multiple options and time to overcome this gap,” he told Arab News. 

“The good thing at this point is that all structural and quantitative benchmarks of the loan program are on track.”

Tahir Abbas, a senior economist and head of research at Arif Habib Limited, said Pakistan last month requested the IMF for a $1 billion climate financing facility to mitigate climate risk, which would be discussed during the ongoing IMF visit.

“Pakistan’s revenue shortfall of around Rs200 billion ($720 million) in the first quarter has mainly necessitated this IMF visit,” he told Arab News. 

“The finance ministry will now inform the IMF delegation about the possible revenue measures to overcome the shortfall and cut the expenditures.”


After primary schools, Pakistan’s Punjab closes high schools as smog crisis deepens

Updated 12 November 2024
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After primary schools, Pakistan’s Punjab closes high schools as smog crisis deepens

  • Record air pollution has triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures, lockdowns in Punjab this month 
  • On Tuesday, provincial capital Lahore, home to 13 million people, had worst air quality globally, according to IQAir

ISLAMABAD: The government of Punjab has closed all educational institutions in the province up to the higher secondary level from tomorrow, Wednesday, until the end of the week because of record-breaking smog that has already prompted the closure of primary schools and government offices and has sickened tens of thousands of people.

Record-high air pollution levels have triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, junior school closures and stay-at-home orders in several districts of Punjab, including the provincial capital of Lahore, which has been enveloped in a thick, toxic smog since last month.

On Tuesday, Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to live readings by IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring company.

“All the educational institutions […] up to higher secondary level shall remain closed and will shift to online mode with effect from Nov 13 within […] DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Rawalpindi divisions […] till Nov 17,” the province’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a notification issued on Tuesday, ordering schools to shift to “online mode.” 

In Pakistan, the higher secondary level refers to upper secondary education, which includes grades 11 and 12. It is also known as intermediate education.

Speaking to reporters, Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said the decision to close higher secondary institutes was taken “in light of the complaints received from the district.”

“This drastic decision had to be taken to protect children from the deadly effects,” he said. “There is a sense of educational loss, but the decision to close educational institutions is being taken out of compulsion.

Primary schools and government offices had already been closed until Nov. 17 in many districts of Punjab earlier this month, with school closures likely to affect the education of more than 20 million students, according to associations representing private and government schools.

Authorities in 18 districts of Punjab also closed all public parks, zoos and museums, historical places, and playgrounds for ten days last week. 

On Friday, a court in Lahore ordered the government to shut all markets after 8pm. Authorities have already banned barbecuing food without filters and ordered wedding halls to close by 10pm.

On Monday, the UN children’s agency said the health of 11 million children in Punjab province was in danger because of air pollution

“Prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12 percent of deaths in children under 5 in Pakistan were due to air pollution,” UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil, said. 

“The impact of this year’s extraordinary smog will take time to assess, but we know that doubling and tripling the amount of pollution in the air will have devastating effects, particularly on children and pregnant women.”


Bus carrying wedding guests falls into river in northern Pakistan, killing 18

Updated 12 November 2024
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Bus carrying wedding guests falls into river in northern Pakistan, killing 18

  • Accident took place on Gilgit Baltistan region as bus was heading to Chakwal in Punjab 
  • So far only one woman had been found alive and was being treated at hospital, officials say 

MANSEHRA, Pakistan: A bus carrying about two dozen wedding guests fell into the Indus River in northern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people, officials said.
It happened in the Gilgit Baltistan region as the bus was heading to Chakwal, a city in Punjab province, government spokesman Faizullah Farqan said.
He said a search for bodies continued, and so far only one woman had been found alive and was being treated at a hospital.
Police said it was unclear what caused the crash, and officers were yet to record the lone survivor’s statement.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari offered condolences and asked rescuers to expedite efforts to find missing passengers.
Road accidents are common in Pakistan due to poor infrastructure and disregard for traffic laws and safety standards. In August, 36 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in two separate bus crashes.


Pakistan says developing nations need $6.8 trillion by 2030 to meet climate pledges

Updated 12 November 2024
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Pakistan says developing nations need $6.8 trillion by 2030 to meet climate pledges

  • PM Sharif calls on donor countries to give 0.7 percent of gross national income as development assistance, use existing climate funds
  • Premier says debt cannot become “acceptable new normal” in climate financing, calls for focus on non-debt financing solutions

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday developing countries would need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current nationally determined contributions (NDCs), or national action plans for reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts defined by the Paris Agreement.

Nearly 200 nations have gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, for COP29 climate talks this week to thrash out the details of a deal known as the New Collective Quantified Goal, designed to deliver billions of dollars of climate finance to the regions that need it the most. But the United States, Europe and others say they will only commit to the fund if the list of countries contributing to it is widened to include the likes of China, South Korea and Singapore, and the resulting deadlock could block progress during the talks.

Meanwhile, COP29 follows a year of weather disasters that have emboldened developing countries in their demands for climate cash. 

Pakistan is ranked the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. In 2022, devastating floods killed over 1,700 people and affected over 33 million, with economic losses exceeding $30 billion. International donors pledged over $9 billion last January to aid Pakistan’s flood recovery but officials say little of the promised funds have been received so far.

“Developing countries will need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half their current NDCs,” Sharif said in an address on the sidelines of the World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit.

“Donor countries should fulfill their commitment to provide 0.7 percent of their gross national income [as development assistance] and capitalize existing climate funds.”

One such commitment, the $100 billion Annual Climate Finance pledge established over a decade ago at COP15, is now reported by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to have reached only $160 billion, Sharif said. 

“Despite this number remaining a tiny proportion of the defined need, a significant part of this financing is dispersed in the form of loans, further enhancing the debt burden on developing nations and potentially pushing them toward mounting debt traps, I call them death traps,” Sharif added.

“Pakistan alongside many other developing countries calls for stronger, more equitable climate finance mechanisms. Debt cannot become the acceptable new normal in climate financing which is why we must resume focus on non-debt financing solutions, enabling countries to fund climate initiatives.”

Sharif also called on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to set up a committee to review NDCs “periodically.”

“We need to double adaptation financing from present level and loss and damage funds must be enhanced and directed toward resilient infrastructure and other pressing needs,” Sharif added.

Governments last year pledged $800 million toward a new ‘loss and damage’ fund to help poorer nations being hit by climate-fueled disasters. The fund, which has a director and a host nation, will now be deciding how the funds should be dispersed and calling for more contributions at COP29.

On Tuesday, the world’s top multilateral banks, including the World Bank, European Investment Bank and Asian Development Bank, pledged to ramp up climate finance to low and middle income countries to $120 billion a year by 2030 as part of efforts at COP29 to agree to an ambitious annual target.

Reaffirming a goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average by 2050, the new figure is a more than 60 percent increase on what the group of 10 multilateral development banks (MDBs) had funneled to poorer nations last year, according to a statement released during the UN climate summit.

The new figure includes $42 billion to help adapt to the impacts of extreme weather, a 70 percent increase over the 2023 number.