Lahore: Polling for NA-133 by-election underway

By-elections in the National Assembly constituency of NA-133 Lahore are being today (Sunday).

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said it had finalised arrangements to hold the by-polls in an impartial atmosphere. The polling started at 8am this morning and will continue till 5pm without any break.

The seat fell vacant after the death of PML-N MNA Pervaiz Malik who had died of heart complications on October 11.

According to the Punjab election commission, there are 254 polling stations in the constituency, including 22 polling stations of A category, 198 of B category and 34 polling stations of C category. Of them, 199 polling stations have been declared sensitive. Around 200 separate polling stations have been set up for men and women and 54 mixed polling stations have also been set up.

The total number of voters in the NA-133 constituency is 440,485, including 233,585 male voters and 206,927 female voters.

Political dynamics

After the PTI candidate went out of the election race, there were 11 candidates left, including PML-N's Pervaiz Malik's widow Shaista Pervaiz Malik and PPP's Aslam Gill.

The PPP actively campaigned for the NA-133 by-election in Lahore, which is considered a stronghold of the rival PML-N, in the hopes of reviving the party in Punjab.

The PML-N has retained the seat thrice in the past with Pervaiz Malik winning it in 2018 with 89,699 votes, Waheed Alam Khan in 2013 with over 100,000 votes and Naseer Bhutta in 2008 with a margin of over 32,000 votes.

Election arrangements

Ballot papers and other polling material have been handed over to the presiding officers for by-elections. Polling material, including ballot papers, is being delivered to the polling stations under the supervision of police and Rangers.

Presiding officers have been paid Rs6,000 each for a full day's duty while assistant presiding officers and polling officers have been given Rs4,000 each.

The ECP directed each presiding officer to get snapshots of the original form 45 along with forensic details showing time and location and hand it over to the returning officer. The commission has asked presiding officers to keep their location service on, take a picture of form 45 and WhatsApp it to returning officers by taking polling agents on board.

In case of non-availability of internet, the presiding officer should personally hand over the original form 45.

The election commission has urged all presiding officers to save relevant details in their computer. Presiding officers will receive polling bags from the returning officer under the guard of police and Rangers.

In the meantime, the ECP has asked each candidate to ensure proper training of their polling agents. Candidates have also been asked to ensure that no polling agent could leave the polling station without receiving from 45. Each presiding officer is bound to provide the signed copy of form 45 to relevant polling agents at the polling station.

Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja inspected the distribution of polling material and expressed satisfaction over the arrangements.

CEC Raja said that all arrangements, including security, are complete. He also urged voters of the constituency to exercise their right to vote.

The election commission said it has assigned security duties to law enforcement agencies, including police and rangers.
The ECP said it has established a control room in the office of the Returning officer, which would continue working throughout the polling process until results are compiled.

The ECP has also established separate control rooms at provincial and central levels to register and resolve complaints. The control room will work from 7am in the morning till the compilation of results on polling day.

You may contact the provincial control room through the following live contacts: Lahore: 042 99212209; 042 99212620; Fax: 042 99212209; Email: prcpunjabcontrolroom@gmail.com.

The central control room could be contacted on phone 051-9204402; Fax no 051-9204404 for registering complaints. The complaints could also be registered through Email:- ddmonitoringisb@gmail.

A deputy commissioner and officers of police and Rangers will remain present to deal with any untoward incident.

The ECP also expressed hope that the voters would strictly follow the COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).

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Pakistan assures Sri Lanka of justice in Sialkot tragedy

Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that Pakistan would ensure justice in the tragic Sialkot lynching.

A Sri Lankan national, Diyawadanage Don Nandasri Priyantha, who had been working as a manager at a private factory in Sialkot, was tortured to death and his body set on fire by a mob over allegations of "blasphemy" on Friday.

The prime minister, in a tweet on Saturday, said he conveyed the nation's anger and shame to the people of Sri Lanka at the killing of Priyantha.

"I informed him 100+ people [have been] arrested and assured him they would be prosecuted with the full severity of the law," the prime minister added.
The post-mortem report of the foreigner revealed that 99% of his body was burned, and with the exception of one foot, all his bones were broken.

All his vital organs — liver, stomach, and one of his kidneys — were affected, while torture marks were visible all over his body and his spinal cord was broken at three different points.

The report cited skull and jaw fractures as the cause of death.

A Punjab Police spokesperson said that following the autopsy, his body was sent to Lahore, with two Elite Force vehicles escorting it.

The body will be handed over to the Sri Lankan consulate in Lahore, the spokesperson said.

"After all legal formalities are fulfilled, the body will be sent to Sri Lanka via a special flight," the spokesperson added.

Wife pleads for justice

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Pakistan to host OIC moot on Dec 19 : Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday said Pakistan would host a session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on December 19 with a focus on highlighting the need for urgent assistance and mobilisation of resources to avert a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan.

“If we don’t pay timely attention, half of Afghanistan’s population or 22.8 million people can face food shortage and 3.2m children may face malnutrition. This is the magnitude which we and the world should understand,” Qureshi said while talking to the media in Lahore.

Considering the gravity of the situation, he said Pakistan made an effort and moved ahead to host the international event while realising that, if not addressed timely, the situation would have dire consequences for "Afghanistan, its neighbours as well as the whole region".

Qureshi stressed that Afghanistan could face economic collapse if its frozen assets were not released to cope with the burgeoning needs.
He also pointed out that such a session of the OIC FMs on the Afghanistan situation would be held after 41 years with the first held in 1980. The foreign minister added that besides the foreign ministers of the OIC countries, Pakistan had also invited the special representatives of P-5 countries including the US, China, Russia, France and the UK.

Invitations were also extended to the European Union's high representative on foreign affairs and international organisations such as the World Bank and relevant UN agencies which could assist in the whole process.

Important countries such as Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia would be invited as well with the objective of "evolving an international consensus".

FM Qureshi said that Pakistan also wanted to invite a high-level delegation of Afghanistan to interact with the visiting dignitaries and apprise them of the latest on-ground situation.

He noted that senior officials of the respective countries would be meeting prior to the session and officials of the OIC Secretariat would be arriving earlier around Dec 1 to oversee the preparations.

Qureshi said the idea of holding the session on Afghanistan emerged during the meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on the sideline of the Green Summit in October.

As Afghanistan was a founding OIC member, he said it was discussed that the Ummah should make efforts to steer it out of the difficult situation. Qureshi thanked Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud for taking a "keen interest" to achieve consensus on the issue.

FM Qureshi stressed that abandoning Afghanistan would be a "historic blunder and the world should learn from the past instead of repeating the same mistake".

“If timely attention is not paid, a new crisis can emerge which would bring in instability. This instability will beget mass exodus of refugees. We are already hosting 3m Afghan refugees and it will be difficult to host anymore. The countries like Iran, Tajikistan, and other bordering countries are also similarly concerned,” he said.

The foreign minister also told the media he would meet the EU high representative and EU parliamentarians in Brussels on Dec 7 to apprise them on Afghanistan's situation.

Qureshi said after the withdrawal of troops and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, India had launched a campaign to sanction Pakistan by blaming it for the Afghan situation. "However, due to its effective foreign policy, Pakistan thwarted all such Indian designs," the foreign minister added.

He said the international community had been convinced in the wake of Pakistan's diplomatic outreach that engagement with Afghanistan was in everyone’s interest as delegates had started visiting the country.

The foreign minister added that in collaboration with China, a platform of six neighbouring countries was also formed to discuss the situation and explore opportunities after the revival of peace in Afghanistan.

Qureshi also highlighted that Pakistan was already assisting Afghans by dispatching medicines, 50,000 tonnes of wheat and other relief items. He added that India was also allowed to transport wheat through Pakistan but it was making continuous excuses to materialise the commitment.

Lynching of Sri Lankan man

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Pakistan assures Sri Lanka of justice in Sialkot tragedy

Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that Pakistan would ensure justice in the tragic Sialkot lynching.

A Sri Lankan national, Diyawadanage Don Nandasri Priyantha, who had been working as a manager at a private factory in Sialkot, was tortured to death and his body set on fire by a mob over allegations of "blasphemy" on Friday.

The prime minister, in a tweet on Saturday, said he conveyed the nation's anger and shame to the people of Sri Lanka at the killing of Priyantha.

"I informed him 100+ people [have been] arrested and assured him they would be prosecuted with the full severity of the law," the prime minister added.
The post-mortem report of the foreigner revealed that 99% of his body was burned, and with the exception of one foot, all his bones were broken.

All his vital organs — liver, stomach, and one of his kidneys — were affected, while torture marks were visible all over his body and his spinal cord was broken at three different points.

The report cited skull and jaw fractures as the cause of death.

A Punjab Police spokesperson said that following the autopsy, his body was sent to Lahore, with two Elite Force vehicles escorting it.

The body will be handed over to the Sri Lankan consulate in Lahore, the spokesperson said.

"After all legal formalities are fulfilled, the body will be sent to Sri Lanka via a special flight," the spokesperson added.

Wife pleads for justice

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Pakistan to host OIC moot on Dec 19 : Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday said Pakistan would host a session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on December 19 with a focus on highlighting the need for urgent assistance and mobilisation of resources to avert a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan.

“If we don’t pay timely attention, half of Afghanistan’s population or 22.8 million people can face food shortage and 3.2m children may face malnutrition. This is the magnitude which we and the world should understand,” Qureshi said while talking to the media in Lahore.

Considering the gravity of the situation, he said Pakistan made an effort and moved ahead to host the international event while realising that, if not addressed timely, the situation would have dire consequences for "Afghanistan, its neighbours as well as the whole region".

Qureshi stressed that Afghanistan could face economic collapse if its frozen assets were not released to cope with the burgeoning needs.
He also pointed out that such a session of the OIC FMs on the Afghanistan situation would be held after 41 years with the first held in 1980. The foreign minister added that besides the foreign ministers of the OIC countries, Pakistan had also invited the special representatives of P-5 countries including the US, China, Russia, France and the UK.

Invitations were also extended to the European Union's high representative on foreign affairs and international organisations such as the World Bank and relevant UN agencies which could assist in the whole process.

Important countries such as Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia would be invited as well with the objective of "evolving an international consensus".

FM Qureshi said that Pakistan also wanted to invite a high-level delegation of Afghanistan to interact with the visiting dignitaries and apprise them of the latest on-ground situation.

He noted that senior officials of the respective countries would be meeting prior to the session and officials of the OIC Secretariat would be arriving earlier around Dec 1 to oversee the preparations.

Qureshi said the idea of holding the session on Afghanistan emerged during the meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on the sideline of the Green Summit in October.

As Afghanistan was a founding OIC member, he said it was discussed that the Ummah should make efforts to steer it out of the difficult situation. Qureshi thanked Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud for taking a "keen interest" to achieve consensus on the issue.

FM Qureshi stressed that abandoning Afghanistan would be a "historic blunder and the world should learn from the past instead of repeating the same mistake".

“If timely attention is not paid, a new crisis can emerge which would bring in instability. This instability will beget mass exodus of refugees. We are already hosting 3m Afghan refugees and it will be difficult to host anymore. The countries like Iran, Tajikistan, and other bordering countries are also similarly concerned,” he said.

The foreign minister also told the media he would meet the EU high representative and EU parliamentarians in Brussels on Dec 7 to apprise them on Afghanistan's situation.

Qureshi said after the withdrawal of troops and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, India had launched a campaign to sanction Pakistan by blaming it for the Afghan situation. "However, due to its effective foreign policy, Pakistan thwarted all such Indian designs," the foreign minister added.

He said the international community had been convinced in the wake of Pakistan's diplomatic outreach that engagement with Afghanistan was in everyone’s interest as delegates had started visiting the country.

The foreign minister added that in collaboration with China, a platform of six neighbouring countries was also formed to discuss the situation and explore opportunities after the revival of peace in Afghanistan.

Qureshi also highlighted that Pakistan was already assisting Afghans by dispatching medicines, 50,000 tonnes of wheat and other relief items. He added that India was also allowed to transport wheat through Pakistan but it was making continuous excuses to materialise the commitment.

Lynching of Sri Lankan man

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Pak vs Ban: Pakistan 161-2 at stumps as Babar steadies team against Bangladesh

Pakistan were 161-2 at stumps on the first day of the second Test against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday after the final session was lost to bad light.

Play did not resume after the tea break, with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam batting on 60 alongside Azhar Ali, 36 not out, after left-arm spinner Taijul Islam removed openers Abdullah Shafique (25) and Abid Ali (39).

The morning session belonged to the Bangladesh bowler who continued to trouble Pakistan batters with his spin.

Ali and Shafique, who put on 146 and 151 runs in two innings of the first Test in Chittagong, looked confident early on as they successfully negotiated the new ball under slightly overcast conditions.

Ali, the man of the match in the first Test, dominated the bowlers, hitting six boundaries.

Shafique also showed aggression, hoisting Taijul for the only six of the morning before the spinners forced Pakistan to slow down.

Taijul could have dismissed Azhar if the third umpire had not given him the benefit of the doubt.

Bangladesh reviewed the not out call from the on-field umpire and with the ultra-edge showing an inconclusive touch of the ball to bat, the decision could not be overturned.

Pakistan lead the two-Test series 1-0 after winning the first Test by eight wickets.

The visitors fielded an unchanged squad from the first Test while Bangladesh handed Mahmudul Hasan a Test debut and brought in Shakib Al Hasan and Khaled Ahmed in three changes to the team.

Saif Hassan, Yasir Ali and Abu Jayed were dropped from the opening Test.

Pakistan are in the second spot on the ICC World Test Championship standings, while Bangladesh are languishing at the bottom. A win in the second Test will not only help them save face but also catapult them in the middle of the table.

 

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PCB announces the ticket prices for T20I, ODI series against Westindies

Pakistan is set to have 100% spectators at the cricket stadium this month for the first time since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and large gatherings were suspended.

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday announced that the National Stadium will host the fans at 100% seating capacity when Babar Azam’s Pakistan take on the West Indies in three T20Is and as many ODIs from December 13-22.

Pakistan have won 17 T20Is this year and will enter the shorter format series against the West Indies with nine wins in the last 10 matches.

Guidelines
On the National Command and Operation Centre's instructions, the PCB has said that only fully vaccinated spectators will be allowed to enter the stadium.

Individuals above 12 are required to be fully vaccinated.
No vaccination is required for children below the age of 12.
Access to the stadium will be granted upon the display of original ticket, CNIC, and Nadra-issued immunisation certificate for COVID-19.
"To ensure all the spectators get to enjoy the action in a safe manner, they are advised to follow the COVID-19 protocols and wear the face masks when in the stands," the PCB statement said.

T20I ticket prices
In a bid to help cricket fans watch their superstars in action, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has set the ticket prices for the T20I matches from as low as Rs250 to Rs2,000, a PCB statement said.

Seats in General Enclosures — Intikhab Alam, Iqbal Qasim, Mohammad Brothers, Nasimul Ghani, and Wasim Bari — are priced at Rs250.
In First-class Enclosures — Asif Iqbal, Majid Khan, Quaid, Waqar Hasan and Zaheer Abbas — seats are available for Rs500.
In Premium Enclosures — Imran Khan and Wasim Akram — the seats are for Rs1,000.
In VIP Enclosures — Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, and Javed Miandad — the seats are for Rs2,000.
Fans of all ages will be able to see the No1 ranked Babar team up with 2021’s most successful T20I batter Mohammad Rizwan as his opening partner.

ODI ticket prices
The two sides will play three ODIs — part of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League — on December 18, 20, and 22, for which the tickets will start from as little as Rs100 and go up to Rs1,000.

Seats in General Enclosures available for Rs100.
In First-class for Rs250.
In Premium for Rs500.
In VIP for Rs1,000.

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