Senate | Pakistan

NEWLY elected PTI senators Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Noor ul Haq Qadri and Faisal Javed take oath.—White Star • Resolution rejects justification for such crimes on cultural grounds • House passes Whistleblower Protection Commission Bill, okays 20pc reward for exposing corruption • Navy Ordinance amended with stricter penalties for misconduct • Eight new senators sworn in ISLAMABAD: Alarmed by a brutal act of vigilante justice in Balochistan, where a man and woman were executed in broad daylight under a jirga verdict in the name of “honour”, the Senate on Thursday called for an immediate and transparent investigation to bring all perpetrators — inclu­ding those who convened or sanctioned the jirga — to justice. In a resolution adopted almost unanimously, the Senate declared that so-called honour killings were not “honourable”, rather constituted murder under the law and must be prosecuted as such. The resolution, tabled by PPP parliamentary leader Senator Sherry Rehman, was supported by all parties across the ais...

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has maintained that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Senate elections were conducted impartially in accordance with the Constitution and law. In a statement issued here, a ECP spokesperson said that no objections were raised by the polling agents of any of the candidates during the polling process for the […]

PESHAWAR/ LAHORE - In a tightly free and transparent Senate elections held in the Khyber Pakh-tunkhwa Assembly on Monday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged with a narrow edge over the opposition, securing six out of eleven seats under a seat-sharing agreement brokered between the provincial government and opposition parties to.

The seat-adjustment arrangement between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and opposition arrangement came through in the Senate elections in the province on Monday — with the treasury winning six and the opposition bagging five seats, according to unofficial results. The treasury and the joint opposition alliance had agreed on a seat-sharing formula under which six seats would go to the treasury, which has 92 members in the KP Assembly, and five seats to the opposition, which is 53-strong. On Sunday, it emerged that what initially shaped up to be a three-way contest — among PTI, PTI “dissidents” and opposition lawmakers — turned out to be almost a two-way match after the size of PTI’s “disgruntled” faction was effectively reduced to just one candidate. PTI’s Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Mirza Afridi and Noorul Haq Qadri were elected as senators on general seats, according to the unofficial results. Murad Saeed received 26 votes, Mirza Afridi and Faisal Javed both bagged 22, and Noor-ul-Haq Qadri 21. PTI’s Azam ...

ISLAMABAD - Parliamentary Party Leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), In Senate, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, has slammed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its disruptive tactics, asserting that opposition members in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will proceed with their oath-taking ahead of the Senate elections, despite attempts to.

PESHAWAR: In a major relief for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), two of its covering candidates have withdrawn from the upcoming Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. PTI’s covering candidate, Waqas Orakzai, made the announcement after meeting with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. “I am not withdrawing under any pressure,” Waqas Orakzai clarified. “I received a […]

• Disgruntled leaders say will contest Senate polls in line with Imran’s vision, allege ‘pro-establishment’ candidates being favoured • Insiders claim oath-taking slated for today may get delayed due to ‘quorum’ • PPP leader says opposition alliance intact, will secure five seats PESHAWAR: As the disgruntled PTI workers are adamant on contesting Senate polls despite an understanding between the KP’s ruling party and the opposition, the agreement on seat adjustment, however, seems to remain intact, with both sides now working on the panel of voters for their candidates. The oath-taking of the 25 MPAs-elect, which is scheduled for today (Sunday), has also assumed importance, as non-administration of oaths to them could lead to postponement of Senate polls. One of the ruling party MPAs told Dawn that there was a likelihood that oath-taking would not take place on Sunday, as the session might be adjourned at the outset due to “lack of quorum”. The treasury and the joint opposition alliance had agreed on a seat-sh...

PESHAWAR: The upcoming Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have become a significant challenge for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), as all covering candidates have refused to withdraw their nomination papers. Internal rifts within PTI continue to surface, with deep divisions persisting among party members. Irfan Saleem, one of the covering candidates, stated, “I am standing against […]

All candidates contesting the Senate elections from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been elected unopposed following a mutual understanding between the provincial government and the opposition parties.

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday appointed eight polling officers to oversee the Senate elections set to take place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on July 21.

• New amendment proposes life term for offences under PPC’s Sections 354-A and 402-C • Law introduced to meet EU’s GSP+ conditions requiring limitation of death penalty to the ‘most serious crimes’ • PTI leader slams govt over ‘poor’ disaster response ISLAMABAD: A bill seeking to abolish the death penalty for harbouring hijackers and for publicly stripping a woman of her clothes was among the four bills passed by the Senate amidst voices of dissent from both sides of the aisle. The Criminal Laws Amendment Bill, aimed at aligning Pakistan’s laws with its international obligations under the GSP+ trade agreement with the European Union (EU), which requires limiting capital punishment to the most serious crimes, was moved in the House by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry. The bill proposes the replacement of the death penalty under Sections 354-A and 402-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) with life imprisonment. Currently, Section 354-A states: “Whoever assaults or uses criminal force against any woma...

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) political committee has rejected any deal for unopposed Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Around 13,000 to 15,000 Pakistani students go to the United Kingdom for permanent residence every year, a Foreign Office (FO) official told the Senate on Friday. “Every year, 13,000 to 15,000 Pakistani students go to the UK for permanent residence,” a FO representative told the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis in a meeting chaired by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada. “Pakistani students prefer to settle in the UK rather than return to the country,” the official added. “These students are willing to work even for minimum wage.” According to the official, Pakistani students then become part of the UK labour market. The FO representative told the panel that there are currently 1.8 million Pakistanis living in the UK. “Pakistani citizens face difficulties [in the UK] due to lack of English proficiency,” the official added. Earlier in the week, UK’s government launched e-visas for Pakistani students and workers as part of an “enhanced” border and immigration system. The announcement came just a day after t...

Deep divisions have surfaced within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the controversial distribution of Senate election tickets, with party organizers threatening protests if their demands are not met.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is grappling with internal discord ahead of the Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as several senior party workers and leaders have voiced strong dissatisfaction over the allocation of tickets.

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi has summoned a session of the provincial assembly on July 20, a day before the scheduled Senate elections in the province.

Tensions within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have intensified amid reports of internal disagreements over Aleema Khan’s alleged interference in key party decisions, particularly regarding the nomination for a vacant Senate seat.

Governor Kundi says their target is to get five Senate seats from the K-P

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) yesterday issued the schedule for Senate elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, setting July 21 as the polling date.

The Republican-led US Senate approved President Donald Trump’s mammoth domestic policy bill on Tuesday by the narrowest of margins, despite misgivings over delivering deep welfare cuts and another $3 trillion in national debt. Republican leaders had struggled to corral support during a record 24-hour “vote-a-rama” amendment session on the Senate floor, as Democrats offered dozens of challenges to the most divisive aspects of the package. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune was able to turn around wavering moderates to deliver a 50-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie. The sprawling text now heads to the House of Representatives, where it faces unified Democratic opposition and multiple Republicans baulking at the budget-busting costs, as well as slashed health care and food aid programmes for poor Americans. Trump’s bill proposes a $4.5tr extension of his first-term tax cuts, contentiously offset with $1.2tr in savings mainly targeting the Medicaid health insurance programme, as well as fe...