Saturday, 3 April, 2021 I 19 Shaban, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 275 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
SC rejeCtS PtI’S aPPeal, uPholdS re-PollIng order In na-75 daSka g
MARyAM LAUDS APEx COURT'S VERDICT, SAyS IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT 'GOVERNMENT HAD STOLEN THE VOTES' LAHORE
t
staff report
HE Supreme Court (SC), while giving a brief verdict in the case regarding the Daska by-elections, upheld the earlier order of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for re-polling in NA-75, thus allowing for voting to be conducted in the constituency on April 10. The apex court heard the concluding arguments of the Election Commission and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday. PTI’s Asjad Ali Malhi, who contested the by-elections, had approached the SC, challenging the ECP’s decision to hold re-polls in the entire constituency. Earlier, the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) demanded re-polling in 109 “controversial” polling stations of the NA-75 Daska, if not the entire constituency. Violence had marred the NA-75 byelection which had taken place in February, as firing incidences claimed the lives of two people and injured a few. Clashes between PML-N and PTI workers led to the deaths. Both parties
had blamed each other for the violence, after which the ECP ordered repolling in the entire constituency. While announcing the reserved judgment on Friday, Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked that the situation was not under control in the constituency on the day of polling. In an earlier hearing, the apex court had suspended the Election Commis-
sion’s order to hold re-polling in the constituency on April 10. The bench had said that the court needed more time to decide the case. “At the moment, we are hearing Salman Akram Raja’s [the PML-N candidate’s lawyer] arguments. We have to hear [the arguments of] other parties to the case apart from Nosheen Ahmed [PMLN candidate],” the court had said.
The apex court had adjourned proceedings of the case for an unspecified period. “The decision of the ECP to hold repolling stands,” Justice Umar Ata Bandial had said. “For the moment, we are postponing the decision to hold it on April 10.” Raja had presented a map of district Daska during the hearing of the case to which Justice Umar Ata Bandial had an interesting remark.
PDM to issue notices to PPP, ANP for violating Steering Committee's decision g
IF PPP, ANP FAIL TO SUBMIT EFFECTIVE RESPONSE, THEy’LL BE ExPELLED FROM PDM, SOURCES SAy
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INDEPENDENT ALLIANCE OF 27 SENATORS, MINUS PPP AND ANP ON THE CARDS
ISLAMABAD mian abrar
The Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) Steering Committee has decided to issue show cause notices to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) for violating the committee’s decision to appoint consensus candidate for leader of the opposition in the Senate. Requesting anonymity, sources in the opposition alliance told Pakistan Today that the eight parties of the PDM agreed at a meeting chaired by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that both parties will be given an opportunity to express their reasons for violation of the decision of the Steering Committee. “The meeting decided to give an opportunity to the PPP and ANP for violating the unanimous decision of
the PDM. If both the parties fail to come up with satisfactory answers, both the parties will be removed from the PDM,” the sources said. According to sources, the meeting of the steering committee of PDM was held at the residence of senior vice president PML-N Shahid
Khaqan Abbasi. The next course of action was considered at the PDM meeting. The PPP and ANP were not invited to the meeting. Sources said that leaders of eight parties of PDM held consultations in the meeting.
The eight PDM parties decided to give the PPP and ANP a chance to express their views. The eight parties agreed to issue show cause notices to PPP and ANP. “Show-cause notices will be issued with the approval of PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. It was decided in the meeting that if they failed to respond logically, the PPP and ANP would be expelled from the PDM,” the sources said. The sources said that it has also been agreed to convene a follow up meeting before Eidul Fitr. “The central leadership meeting will be convened when Maulana Fazlur Rehman recovers,” the sources said. The sources added that the eight parties of PDM also agreed to form an independent opposition alliance of 27 senators in the Senate, minus PPP and ANP.
Citing Covid-19 variants, UK imposes travel ban on Pakistan alongside others
LONDON staff report
The British government said on Friday that it would add four countries, including Pakistan, to its socalled red list, banning incoming travel to England, citing coronavirus “variants of concern”. United Kingdom’s Department for Transport
said that the ban on visitors from Kenya, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Pakistan would enter force at 0300 GMT on April 9. This will include anyone who left the countries or transited through them in the previous 10 days. The UK and Irish nationals and those with UK residence rights travelling from those countries will have to quarantine in hotels for 10 days. The department said that the ban was over new data showing increased risks of importing coronavirus “variants of concern”. The new rules take the total number of redlisted countries to 39. Other countries included on the list are Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burundi, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Guyana,
“you’ve prepared a lot of material in just a day’s time,” the judge had said. In response, Raja pointed out there were 76 polling stations in Daska and that complaints of irregularities were reported in 34 of them. “The ECP identified these 34 polling stations and even 20 presiding officers went missing,” he had said. “It is even said polling was delayed at 10 polling stations for quite some time,” Justice Bandial had said. “The question is, who was behind such a move and why?” The judge had wondered whether the irregularities took place because one candidate was strong and the other had to resort to such measures to win. “Nosheen’s father has won from Daska five times,” Raja had argued. “Her family has a lot of influence in the city. She was supposed to poll 46,000 votes while the PTI candidate was expected to poll 11,000 votes,” he added. Raja had said that it was in the PTI candidate’s interest to mar the polls since its candidate did not stand a chance of winning the contest.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
CoronavIruS In
PakIStan
CONFIRMED CASES:
678,165
LAST UPDATED AT 7:52 AM ON APRIL 2, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
NEW CASES:
83
5,234
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
607,205 14,613 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
265,917
225,953
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
89,255
12,984/5,045
19,610
59,401
more inside
Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, UAE, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe. “Red Listing means that only UK and Irish nationals and those with residency rights in the UK will be allowed to travel to the UK if they have been in Pakistan in the 10 days before they arrive,” British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner said in a video message posted on Twitter. The British government said that the list expansion came at a “critical time for the vaccine programme”. The UK has given more than 31 million people, or more than 45 per cent of the population, the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
‘Divide and rule is the strategy of nondemocratic forces’, Bilawal advises PDM
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
STORY ON PAGE 02
PM says no trade with India until IOK’s autonomy is restored STORY ON PAGE 03