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Tag: PML-N

  • PML-N Sweeps Gujranwala, Chichawatni By-Polls

    PML-N Sweeps Gujranwala, Chichawatni By-Polls

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has won the by-elections in NA-77 Gujranwala and PP-203 Chichawatni, according to unofficial and provisional results, handing the ruling party a twin victory in the two constituencies.

    In NA-77 Gujranwala, PML-N candidate Rashid Bashir Virk emerged victorious, while in PP-203 Chichawatni, Asad Hanif Jatt secured the seat with a clear lead over his nearest rival. The results, reported after the close of polling, brought celebrations among party workers, though the outcome remains subject to confirmation by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

    According to the unofficial results from PP-203 Chichawatni, Asad Hanif Jatt secured 41,245 votes, while his closest rival, Muhammad Awais Gujjar, received 23,167 votes, giving the PML-N candidate a winning margin of 18,078 votes. Results from all 185 polling stations in the constituency had been reported, and the constituency has 258,122 registered voters.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan said voting continued uninterrupted until 5pm, with polling proceeding smoothly across the constituency. The PP-203 seat had fallen vacant after the death of PML-N MPA Chaudhry Muhammad Hanif Jatt, and the by-election was held to fill the vacancy.

    By-elections are held when a seat falls vacant between general elections, and the contest in PP-203 drew attention because the seat had been held by the PML-N. The turnout and the counting process were watched closely by both sides, with the unofficial results giving the PML-N a comfortable lead once all 185 polling stations had reported their counts.

    As the unofficial results came in, party leaders and workers gathered at the central office to celebrate, with fireworks, sweets and traditional dances to the beat of drums. Senior party figure Saira Afzal Tarar, Bilal Farooq Tarar and former federal minister Engineer Khurram Dastgir visited the office to congratulate Virk on the victory.

    The by-election results are unofficial at this stage and remain subject to confirmation by the Election Commission of Pakistan, which will issue the formal notification after completing its process. Until that confirmation is issued, the results stand as provisional, and the commission’s announcement will settle the outcome formally.

  • Shehbaz Briefs Nawaz on KP Security, Economic Reforms

    Shehbaz Briefs Nawaz on KP Security, Economic Reforms

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif at Jati Umra, the Sharif family estate in Raiwind, Lahore, on Sunday and briefed him on the overall political and economic situation, with a particular focus on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    During the meeting, the prime minister briefed the PML-N leader on the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and on the government’s initiatives aimed at promoting development and prosperity in the province. The security situation in the province, and the steps being taken to improve it, formed a central part of the discussion.

    The briefing comes as the province’s approach to terrorism remains a live political question. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has publicly said the provincial PTI government was not serious in fighting terrorism, a charge that has kept the province’s security policy in the headlines. The prime minister’s briefing to the party president covered both the security challenges in the province and the federal government’s efforts to support development there.

    On the economy, the prime minister briefed Nawaz Sharif on the ongoing government reforms, particularly the economic reforms, and on the challenges facing the country and the measures being taken to address them. The discussion covered the state of the national economy and the government’s agenda for improving it.

    The two leaders also discussed the country’s political situation and matters of national importance. The meeting reviewed governance and the government’s performance, alongside detailed discussions on national political affairs and on initiatives aimed at improving the country’s economic situation.

    Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif also attended the meeting. The talks brought together the prime minister, the party president, the deputy prime minister and the Punjab chief minister for a wide-ranging review of the political and security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the government’s reform agenda.

    The briefing took place on Sunday, a day before the country marked the 149th birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal on Monday, November 9, which the federal government had declared a public holiday. The meeting’s agenda, however, remained firmly on the province’s security situation and the government’s economic reform programme.

  • پی پی 203: ن لیگ نے 19,170 ووٹوں سے نشست برقرار رکھی

    پی پی 203: ن لیگ نے 19,170 ووٹوں سے نشست برقرار رکھی

    ساہیوال کے صوبائی حلقہ پی پی 203 کے ضمنی انتخاب میں پاکستان مسلم لیگ ن نے اپنی نشست برقرار رکھ لی ہے۔ تمام 160 پولنگ اسٹیشنوں کے غیر حتمی نتائج کے مطابق ن لیگ کے امیدوار محمد حنیف نے 51,520 ووٹ حاصل کر کے کامیابی اپنے نام کی، جبکہ ان کے قریبی حریف ملک محمد احمد رضا 32,350 ووٹ لے سکے۔ اس طرح ن لیگ کی جیت کا فرق 19,170 ووٹ رہا۔

    یہ نشست ن لیگ کے رکن صوبائی اسمبلی محمد ارشد ملک کے انتقال کے بعد خالی ہوئی تھی، جنہوں نے 2024 کے عام انتخابات میں یہ حلقہ جیتا تھا۔ ان کے انتقال کے بعد اس نشست پر ضمنی انتخاب کرانا ضروری ہو گیا تھا، جس میں دونوں بڑی جماعتوں نے بھرپور مہم چلائی۔

    پولنگ کے دن حلقے بھر میں سیکیورٹی کے سخت انتظامات کیے گئے تھے۔ ووٹرز نے بڑی تعداد میں گھروں سے نکل کر اپنا حق رائے دہی استعمال کیا۔ پولنگ کا عمل مجموعی طور پر پرامن رہا اور کسی بڑے ناخوشگوار واقعے کی اطلاع موصول نہیں ہوئی۔

    ملک محمد احمد رضا تحریک انصاف کے حمایت یافتہ آزاد امیدوار کے طور پر میدان میں تھے۔ نتائج کے اعلان کے بعد ن لیگ کی قیادت نے حلقے کے عوام کا شکریہ ادا کیا اور کہا کہ ووٹرز نے ایک بار پھر پارٹی پر اعتماد کا اظہار کیا ہے۔ دوسری جانب تحریک انصاف کے رہنماؤں کا کہنا تھا کہ وہ نتائج کا جائزہ لیں گے اور آئندہ کا لائحہ عمل طے کریں گے۔

    سیاسی مبصرین کے مطابق یہ نتیجہ پنجاب میں ن لیگ کے لیے حوصلہ افزا ہے، کیونکہ اس سے صوبے میں پارٹی کی سیاسی گرفت کی عکاسی ہوتی ہے۔ ضمنی انتخاب میں کامیابی کے بعد ن لیگ کے کارکنوں نے ساہیوال میں جشن منایا اور مٹھائیاں تقسیم کیں۔

    ضمنی انتخاب کی مہم کے دوران دونوں جماعتوں کے رہنماؤں نے حلقے کے عوام سے رابطے کیے اور اپنی اپنی کارکردگی اور وعدے سامنے رکھے۔ مقامی مسائل، ترقیاتی منصوبے اور روزگار کے مواقع مہم کے اہم موضوعات رہے۔ ووٹرز نے ان مسائل پر اپنے فیصلے کیے اور بالآخر ن لیگ کے امیدوار کو کامیاب قرار دیا۔

    حتمی اور سرکاری نتائج الیکشن کمیشن کی جانب سے جاری کیے جائیں گے، جس کے بعد کامیاب امیدوار کی کامیابی کا باضابطہ اعلان ہو گا۔

  • NA-77 By-Election Today: 11 Candidates, 518,620 Voters

    NA-77 By-Election Today: 11 Candidates, 518,620 Voters

    Polling is under way in Gujranwala today, where 11 candidates are contesting the by-election for the National Assembly seat of NA-77. Voters began casting their ballots on Sunday morning to elect a successor to Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk, the long-serving PML-N parliamentarian whose death in September left the constituency without representation in the lower house.

    According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, 518,620 voters are registered in the constituency, including 277,480 men and 241,140 women. A total of 333 polling stations have been set up across NA-77, comprising 142 male, 137 female and 54 combined stations, with 963 polling booths in all, 536 for men and 427 for women.

    The main contest is widely seen as a two-way fight. The PML-N has fielded Rashid Bashir Virk, the son of the late MNA, while the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League has nominated Qazi Muhammad Ibrahim Gujjar. Tayyab Mahmood of the Pakistan Ideological Party is also in the race, along with independent candidates Ulfat Rasool Warraich and Manzoor Qadir Bhinder, among others.

    Tight security as polling day unfolds

    Security has been tightened across the constituency for polling day. The federal government approved the deployment of the Pakistan Army and Punjab Rangers for the by-elections in NA-77 Gujranwala and PP-203 Sahiwal, with troops deployed from 7 to 9 November to cover polling day and the days immediately before and after it.

    The run-up to polling was not without controversy. The Election Commission issued a notice to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar over an alleged violation of the election code of conduct during the campaign, after reports that he visited the constituency by helicopter and addressed a gathering. The minister and the PML-N candidate were summoned to appear before the district monitoring officer at 11am on polling day, and the commission warned that the constituency result could be withheld until a final decision is reached.

    NA-77 covers parts of Gujranwala city and its surrounding areas, including Gujranwala Cantt, Qila Deedar Singh, Rahwali and Ludhiana Warraich. According to reports from the constituency, voters have raised broken roads, health and education facilities, clean drinking water and sewage as the main problems facing the area, and candidates were pressed on these issues throughout the campaign.

    In the 2024 general election, Mahmood Bashir Virk won the seat for the PML-N with 109,704 votes, while Rashida Tariq finished second with 91,825 votes, a margin of 17,879 votes. The PML-N will be hoping to hold on to a seat it has controlled for years, while its rivals are aiming to turn the by-election into an upset.

    Polling will continue through the day, with counting to follow once voting closes. The formal declaration of the result may be delayed if the Election Commission’s review of the alleged code of conduct violation is still under way.

  • Shehbaz Vows More Relief as Petrol Prices Set to Fall

    Shehbaz Vows More Relief as Petrol Prices Set to Fall

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has signalled further cuts in petroleum prices, saying his government will keep bringing relief to people struggling with the rising cost of living.

    The prime minister made the remarks during a meeting with senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Khawaja Ahmad Hassan at Model Town in Lahore on Saturday, where the two discussed the country’s political and economic situation.

    According to reports of the meeting, the prime minister said petroleum prices were being reduced gradually and that steps to protect the public from inflation would continue. He said the government would keep introducing measures aimed at easing the burden on ordinary households.

    Khawaja Ahmad Hassan praised the prime minister for extending petrol subsidies to the public without discrimination, describing it as a positive step for public welfare. He said millions of people had directly benefited from the fuel subsidy and that billions of rupees had been spent on providing relief.

    Hassan also welcomed the diplomatic efforts of the prime minister and Field Marshal Asim Munir in promoting peaceful solutions to international conflicts, saying their work had received wide recognition at the international level.

    The meeting comes against the backdrop of the government’s targeted fuel relief scheme, under which petrol is being provided at reduced prices to owners of motorcycles, rickshaws and small vehicles of up to 800cc. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said earlier this week that more than 15 million people had registered under the scheme and that relief worth Rs27 billion had been provided so far.

    The government also averted a planned Rs15 per litre increase in petrol prices this week, with the additional burden instead shifted to refineries, according to the information minister. The prime minister has separately directed action against petrol pumps that fail to pass on the relief to consumers.

    Petrol prices matter deeply to household budgets in Pakistan, where fuel costs feed directly into transport fares and the prices of everyday goods. Any further reduction would bring some respite to low-income families, motorcycle riders and small traders who depend on affordable fuel for their livelihoods.

    For now, the prime minister’s message is one of reassurance: that the relief measures already in place are only the beginning, and that more help is on the way for people feeling the pinch of inflation.

  • آزاد کشمیر: عادل قریشی سپورٹس و یوتھ کے سیاسی معاون مقرر

    آزاد کشمیر: عادل قریشی سپورٹس و یوتھ کے سیاسی معاون مقرر

    وزیراعظم آزاد جموں و کشمیر بیرسٹر افتخار گیلانی نے عادل قریشی کو سپورٹس، کلچر اینڈ یوتھ افیئرز کا سیاسی معاون مقرر کر دیا ہے۔ تقرری کا باضابطہ نوٹیفکیشن پیر کے روز وزیراعظم سیکرٹریٹ مظفرآباد میں مسلم لیگ (ن) کے کارکنان کے ایک بڑے وفد کی موجودگی میں عادل قریشی کو حوالے کیا گیا۔

    اس موقع پر کارکنان سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے وزیراعظم آزاد کشمیر نے کہا کہ ان کی حکومت آزاد خطے کو ترقی و خوشحالی کی راہ پر گامزن کرنے اور عوامی مسائل کے حل کے لیے بھرپور اقدامات کر رہی ہے۔ ان کے مطابق حکومت عوامی شکایات کا ترجیحی بنیادوں پر ازالہ کر رہی ہے اور ترقیاتی اقدامات کے ثمرات شہریوں کی دہلیز تک پہنچانے کے لیے کام کیا جا رہا ہے۔

    وزیراعظم کا کہنا تھا کہ آزاد کشمیر کے تمام حلقوں میں بلا تخصیص ترقیاتی کام کیے جائیں گے اور بھمبر سے تاؤبٹ تک ترقی زمین پر نظر آئے گی۔ انھوں نے دارالحکومت مظفرآباد کو اس کے شایان شان شہر بنانے کے عزم کا بھی اعادہ کیا۔ ان کے بقول حکومت کے پاس موجود تمام وسائل عوامی مسائل کے حل، بنیادی سہولیات کی فراہمی اور ترقیاتی عمل کو تیز کرنے کے لیے بروئے کار لائے جائیں گے۔

    وزیراعظم نے اس عزم کا اظہار بھی کیا کہ حکومتی اقدامات کا مقصد عوام کے روزمرہ کے مسائل کا فوری حل ہے، اور اس سلسلے میں متعلقہ محکموں کو ہدایات جاری کی گئی ہیں کہ عوام کو بنیادی سہولیات کی فراہمی میں کسی قسم کی کوتاہی نہ ہو۔

    دریں اثنا عادل قریشی کی تقرری پر مسلم لیگ (ن) کے کارکنان نے وزیراعظم آزاد کشمیر کا شکریہ ادا کیا اور اس موقع پر پارٹی اور وزیراعظم کے حق میں نعرے بھی لگائے۔ کارکنان نے امید ظاہر کی کہ نئے سیاسی معاون کی تقرری سے کھیل، ثقافت اور نوجوانوں سے متعلق امور میں بہتری آئے گی اور نوجوان نسل کی سرگرمیوں کو فروغ ملے گا۔

    واضح رہے کہ افتخار گیلانی پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن) سے تعلق رکھتے ہیں اور رواں برس 28 اگست کو آزاد کشمیر کے 17ویں وزیراعظم کے طور پر حلف اٹھایا تھا۔ ان کی حکومت کا دعویٰ ہے کہ وہ خطے کے تمام علاقوں میں یکساں ترقی اور عوامی فلاح کے ایجنڈے پر عمل پیرا ہے، اور ترقیاتی منصوبوں کے نتائج جلد عوام کے سامنے آئیں گے۔

    مبصرین کے مطابق کھیل اور ثقافت کے شعبے میں سیاسی معاونت کی تقرری آزاد کشمیر میں نوجوانوں کی سرگرمیوں کے لیے حکومتی توجہ کی نشاندہی کرتی ہے۔ اب دیکھنا یہ ہے کہ نئی تقرری کے بعد ان شعبوں میں عملی اقدامات کس رفتار سے سامنے آتے ہیں۔