ECP notifies candidates for reserved seats

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Wednesday issued notifications of candidates for reserved seats for women and minorities in both the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. The electoral body has also sought a priority list of women candidates in the National Assembly from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) after its earlier list exhausted.

According to the notification, PMLN’s Sobia Shahid, Ghazala Anjum, Shehla Bano and Shaheen, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF)’s Naeema Kishore Khan, Sadaf Ehsan and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)’s Asma Alamgir and Naeema Kanwal won the reserved seats for women in the National Assembly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Likewise, PPP candidate Samina Khalid Ghurki, Natasha Dultana and PMLN’s Tamkin Akhtar Niazi won the reserved seats for women in the National Assembly from Punjab. PPP Samita Afzal Syed and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Fauzia Hameed won the reserved seats for women in the Sindh Assembly and PMLN’s Neelam, PPP’s Ramesh Kumar Vankwani and JUIF’s James Iqbal won the reserved seats in the National Assembly.

Similarly, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, JUIF’s Askar Pervaiz, PMLN’s Suresh Kumar and PPP’s Beari Lal won the seats reserved for non-Muslims, whereas PMLN candidates Tariq Masih, Waseem Anjum and PPP’s Basroji have won the reserved seats for minorities in the Punjab Assembly. PPP’s candidate Sodomal Sarender Vilasi won the seat reserved for non-Muslims in the Sindh Assembly.

PMLN’s Sadia Muzaffar, Fiza Maimoona, Abida Bashir, Maqsoodan Bibi, Amra Khan, Soumya Atta, Rahat Afza, Rukhsana Shafiq, Tehseen Fawad, Farzana Abbas, Shagufta Faisal, Uzma Butt, Maria Talal, Sajid Naveed, Nasreen Riaz, Afshan Hassan, Amina Parveen, Shahr Bano, Zeba Ghafoor, PPP’s Rubina Nazir and Syeda Samira Ahmed of Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party were declared successful in the Punjab Assembly.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, JUI Fazl’s Naeema Kishore Khan, Sitara Afreen, Ayman Jill Jan, Madina Gul Afridi, Rabia Shaheen, Niloufer Begum, Nahida Noor, Aarifa Bibi, PMLN’s Amina Sardar, Faiza Malik, Afshan Hussain, Shazia Jadoon, Jamila Paracha, PPP’s Shazia Tamas Khan, Naeema Kanwal, Mehr Sultana, Ashbar Jan Jadoon Khadija Bibi of Awami National Party were declared successful.

These reserved seats have been distributed among political parties, after the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council was declared ineligible for the reserved seats by the ECP in its 22-page order. One ECP member had a dissenting note with regards to distribution of the seats. Separately, a two-member bench headed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Member Justice Ikramullah Khan heard the ‘case of release of two results’ of Nawaz Sharif’s victory in NA-130 Lahore and reserved its verdict after having heard arguments. The ECP bench also adjourned hearing in a case pertaining to NA-76, Narowal, till March 14. The lawyer of independent candidate Javed Safdar also appeared in the commission. The winner Ahsan Iqbal’s lawyer submitted the RO report to the commission. The hearing was adjourned till March 14. Ali Musa Gilani’s lawyer appeared before the bench regarding NA-151 case and said that his client had won with a clear lead in Form 47 after Form 45 and that propaganda was needlessly been created. The commission summoned the RO and adjourned the hearing of the case till March 13. The two-member bench heard the case on NA-81 Gujranwala and said that if independent candidate Chaudhry Bilal Ejaz had won with a low lead, then it would have been another matter. The commission reserved the verdict after hearing the arguments of the parties while PMLN’s candidate wanted recount of votes. Meanwhile, the ECP said that according to Rule 15 of the Presidential Election Rules 1988, presidential candidates can nominate a polling agent before the start of the polling process who will oversee the polling process and the counting process.

And in this regard, the candidate would inform the Presiding Officer concerned in writing. The chief election commissioner/ RO for presidential election has issued instructions under the Presidential Election Rule 32 that all the candidates participating in the Presidential Election 2024 shall keep in mind that the polling agent is a member of the assembly concerned at the time of nomination of the polling agent.