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Pakistan election symbols and impact on ex-PM Khan’s party losing the bat sign

Pakistan election symbols and impact on ex-PM Khan’s party losing the bat sign
Leader Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former prime minister Imran Khan's lawyer Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, waves a cricket bat after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had stripped the party's electoral symbol of a cricket bat on technical grounds, while speaking to supporters during a rally ahead of general elections in Karachi, Pakistan on January 14, 2024. (REUTERS/File)
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Updated 16 January 2024
Reuters
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Pakistan election symbols and impact on ex-PM Khan’s party losing the bat sign

Pakistan election symbols and impact on ex-PM Khan’s party losing the bat sign
  • Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has been stripped of traditional electoral symbol of a cricket bat in a court ruling
  • This means confusion for voters and extra costs to produce separate campaign material such as banners for each candidate
Updated 16 January 2024
Reuters
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ISLAMABAD: The party of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has been stripped of its traditional electoral symbol of a cricket bat in a court ruling, the latest blow to the jailed leader ahead of a national election in February.

Here are some facts about the significance of electoral symbols and the challenges facing Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

WHAT IS AN ELECTORAL SYMBOL?

Electoral symbols — unique pictorial identifiers — are handed out by the election commission to political parties and candidates. Parties usually have long-standing symbols, which, for the PTI, was the cricket bat, referencing Khan being a celebrated former captain of the national cricket team.

The symbols appear on ballot papers, with voters able to put a stamp on their symbol of choice. The ballot paper also has names, but over 40 percent of Pakistan’s 241 million population are illiterate, making the pictures extra important for recognition.

A majority of Pakistan’s constituencies are in rural areas where the literacy rate is around 50 percent, according to the economic survey of 2022-23.

Pakistan’s election process involves thousands of candidates and dozens of political parties and symbols. A single ballot paper has a long list of options for voters.

A total of 150 symbols have been assigned to political parties and another 174 will be given to independent candidates for this election.

Three time prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s party uses a tiger, while the party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of slain premier Benazir Bhutto, uses an arrow.

Symbols available to independents include a donkey cart and an ironing board.

WHY WAS THE SYMBOL REMOVED?

The Election Commission of Pakistan stripped the PTI of the symbol on technical grounds that it had not held intra-party elections, a prerequisite for any party to take part in the Feb. 8 vote.

The party challenged that ruling in the Supreme Court, which ruled against it on Jan. 13. The party alleges the powerful military is attempting to keep it out of the election race, a charge the army denies.

WHAT CHALLENGES DOES THIS POSE FOR IMRAN KHAN?

Alongside Khan’s legal troubles, his party now no longer has a single electoral symbol to rally behind. Instead, each of his hundreds of candidates have been given separate symbols from the independent symbol list — including dice and a bowl.

That means confusion for his voters and also extra costs to produce separate campaign material, such as banners, for each candidate.

Khan’s party has, for now, also lost its registered status with the election commission, which means that his candidates’ bloc will not be eligible for reserved seats handed out to political parties.

There are 70 seats reserved for women and religious minorities in the National Assembly, given to parties in proportion to the number of their candidates winning elections. This provides a boost to party positions in parliament.

Topics: Election 2024 Pakistan Imran Khan PTI Bat symbol Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ECP

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Pakistani PM says 7 million at risk from flooding in glacial lakes 

Pakistani PM says 7 million at risk from flooding in glacial lakes 
Updated 14 sec ago
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Pakistani PM says 7 million at risk from flooding in glacial lakes 

Pakistani PM says 7 million at risk from flooding in glacial lakes 
  • Pakistan boasts over 7,000 glaciers, one of the highest totals for any country in the world 
  • 2022 floods killed 1,700 people and affected more than 33 million, with economic losses over $30 billion
Updated 14 sec ago
Falak Mahmood Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday over 3,000 lakes had been formed in Pakistan due to accelerated glacial melt, posing an increased risk of flooding and putting the lives of over seven million people at risk. 

Sharif was addressing a ceremony in connection with steps taken for the protection of glaciers in Baku where leaders of nearly 200 nations have gathered for COP29 climate talks this week. 

“Accelerated glacial melt has led to the formation of more than 3,000 glacial lakes in the northern part of Pakistan, beautiful though but at the same time posing great threat,” Sharif said in a speech. 

“It is estimated that out of these, 33 are at high risk of outburst flooding, putting at risk the lives of over 7 million people. This is a very grave situation and demands urgent action and now.”

The UN defines Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) as sudden events that can occur when glaciers melt and release millions of cubic meters of water and debris. In Pakistan, GLOFs can be a threat to the lives and livelihoods of people living in remote mountain areas, especially in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Outside the polar region, Pakistan is the country with the highest number of glaciers in the world at over 7,000. However, a combination of climate change and air pollution, including from neighboring countries like India and China, has significantly contributed to the rapid melting of these glaciers, causing devastating floods that have affected Pakistan’s people, livelihoods and the economy.

In 2022, the country experienced an unprecedented deluge and unexpected monsoon rainfall. It resulted in one-third of the nation being submerged and claiming the lives of 1,700 people.

Pakistan estimates the floods affected more than 33 million people, mainly in the Sindh and Baluchistan provinces, and caused economic losses that exceeded $30 billion.

Topics: COP 29 Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif glacial lakes  Glacial Lake Outburst Floods golf Arab News Pakistan

IMF delegation in Pakistan, discusses ‘key benchmarks’ of $7 billion loan program — official 

IMF delegation in Pakistan, discusses ‘key benchmarks’ of $7 billion loan program — official 
Updated 8 min 50 sec ago
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IMF delegation in Pakistan, discusses ‘key benchmarks’ of $7 billion loan program — official 

IMF delegation in Pakistan, discusses ‘key benchmarks’ of $7 billion loan program — official 
  • IMF has said Porter’s visit is not part of the first review of loan program
  • First review not scheduled to take place before the first quarter of 2025
Updated 8 min 50 sec ago
AAMIR SAEED 

ISLAMABAD: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation is in Islamabad this week and will hold discussions with top Pakistani officials on the “key benchmarks” of a $7 billion loan program approved in September, a finance ministry official said on Tuesday.

The IMF delegation led by Pakistan mission chief Nathan Porter arrived in Islamabad on Monday on an unplanned visit. The team is expected to hold meetings until Friday with top officials from ministries such as finance and energy and the Federal Board of Revenue, the main tax collection agency, to collect data on “loan program performance to date,” a finance ministry official told Arab News, seeking anonymity. 

The IMF has said Porter’s visit is not part of the first review of the loan program, which is not scheduled to take place before the first quarter of 2025. 

“Some key benchmarks of the loan program will come under discussion during the meetings, as Islamabad faces some revenue shortfall and a recent botched attempt to privatize the Pakistan International Airlines,” the finance ministry official said. 

“Matters like external financing gap and reforms in the energy sector are also expected to be discussed with the IMF delegation.”

The IMF reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan in July for a 37-month $7 billion bailout package, which the Fund’s Executive Board approved in September. This was the 25th loan program that Pakistan has obtained since 1958.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the ministry of finance said a delegation led by Porter had an “initial meeting” with finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervez Malik, Governor State Bank Jameel Ahmed, Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and senior finance ministry officials were also present in the meeting, the ministry said.

Islamabad secured the bailout loan, critical to keeping its $350 billion fragile economy afloat, after taking painful measures such as hiking fuel and food prices and implementing reforms to broaden the country’s tax base and privatize state-owned entities.

“INTERIM CHECKS”

Pakistan’s macroeconomic conditions and investor sentiment have improved in recent months, which analysts say has led to a bullish trend in the country’s stock market.

Syed Atif Zafar, the chief economist at Topline Securities, said the IMF delegation’s meetings with Pakistani officials were part of “interim checks” to ensure a successful review of the loan facility next year. 

“The government failed to achieve the tax revenue target in the first quarter that has perhaps necessitated this IMF visit, but still the authorities have multiple options and time to overcome this gap,” he told Arab News. 

“The good thing at this point is that all structural and quantitative benchmarks of the loan program are on track.”

Tahir Abbas, a senior economist and head of research at Arif Habib Limited, said Pakistan last month requested the IMF for a $1 billion climate financing facility to mitigate climate risk, which would be discussed during the ongoing IMF visit.

“Pakistan’s revenue shortfall of around Rs200 billion ($720 million) in the first quarter has mainly necessitated this IMF visit,” he told Arab News. 

“The finance ministry will now inform the IMF delegation about the possible revenue measures to overcome the shortfall and cut the expenditures.”

Topics: Pakistan IMF Talks IMF

After primary schools, Pakistan’s Punjab closes high schools as smog crisis deepens

After primary schools, Pakistan’s Punjab closes high schools as smog crisis deepens
Updated 12 November 2024
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After primary schools, Pakistan’s Punjab closes high schools as smog crisis deepens

After primary schools, Pakistan’s Punjab closes high schools as smog crisis deepens
  • Record air pollution has triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures, lockdowns in Punjab this month 
  • On Tuesday, provincial capital Lahore, home to 13 million people, had worst air quality globally, according to IQAir
Updated 12 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The government of Punjab has closed all educational institutions in the province up to the higher secondary level from tomorrow, Wednesday, until the end of the week because of record-breaking smog that has already prompted the closure of primary schools and government offices and has sickened tens of thousands of people.

Record-high air pollution levels have triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, junior school closures and stay-at-home orders in several districts of Punjab, including the provincial capital of Lahore, which has been enveloped in a thick, toxic smog since last month.

On Tuesday, Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to live readings by IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring company.

“All the educational institutions […] up to higher secondary level shall remain closed and will shift to online mode with effect from Nov 13 within […] DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Rawalpindi divisions […] till Nov 17,” the province’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a notification issued on Tuesday, ordering schools to shift to “online mode.” 

In Pakistan, the higher secondary level refers to upper secondary education, which includes grades 11 and 12. It is also known as intermediate education.

Speaking to reporters, Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said the decision to close higher secondary institutes was taken “in light of the complaints received from the district.”

“This drastic decision had to be taken to protect children from the deadly effects,” he said. “There is a sense of educational loss, but the decision to close educational institutions is being taken out of compulsion.

Primary schools and government offices had already been closed until Nov. 17 in many districts of Punjab earlier this month, with school closures likely to affect the education of more than 20 million students, according to associations representing private and government schools.

Authorities in 18 districts of Punjab also closed all public parks, zoos and museums, historical places, and playgrounds for ten days last week. 

On Friday, a court in Lahore ordered the government to shut all markets after 8pm. Authorities have already banned barbecuing food without filters and ordered wedding halls to close by 10pm.

On Monday, the UN children’s agency said the health of 11 million children in Punjab province was in danger because of air pollution

“Prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12 percent of deaths in children under 5 in Pakistan were due to air pollution,” UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil, said. 

“The impact of this year’s extraordinary smog will take time to assess, but we know that doubling and tripling the amount of pollution in the air will have devastating effects, particularly on children and pregnant women.”

Topics: Pakistan Punjab Lahore

Bus carrying wedding guests falls into river in northern Pakistan, killing 18

Bus carrying wedding guests falls into river in northern Pakistan, killing 18
Updated 12 November 2024
AP
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Bus carrying wedding guests falls into river in northern Pakistan, killing 18

Bus carrying wedding guests falls into river in northern Pakistan, killing 18
  • Accident took place on Gilgit Baltistan region as bus was heading to Chakwal in Punjab 
  • So far only one woman had been found alive and was being treated at hospital, officials say 
Updated 12 November 2024
AP

MANSEHRA, Pakistan: A bus carrying about two dozen wedding guests fell into the Indus River in northern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people, officials said.
It happened in the Gilgit Baltistan region as the bus was heading to Chakwal, a city in Punjab province, government spokesman Faizullah Farqan said.
He said a search for bodies continued, and so far only one woman had been found alive and was being treated at a hospital.
Police said it was unclear what caused the crash, and officers were yet to record the lone survivor’s statement.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari offered condolences and asked rescuers to expedite efforts to find missing passengers.
Road accidents are common in Pakistan due to poor infrastructure and disregard for traffic laws and safety standards. In August, 36 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in two separate bus crashes.

Topics: Pakistan bus crash

Pakistan says developing nations need $6.8 trillion by 2030 to meet climate pledges

Pakistan says developing nations need $6.8 trillion by 2030 to meet climate pledges
Updated 12 November 2024
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Pakistan says developing nations need $6.8 trillion by 2030 to meet climate pledges

Pakistan says developing nations need $6.8 trillion by 2030 to meet climate pledges
  • PM Sharif calls on donor countries to give 0.7 percent of gross national income as development assistance, use existing climate funds
  • Premier says debt cannot become “acceptable new normal” in climate financing, calls for focus on non-debt financing solutions
Updated 12 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday developing countries would need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current nationally determined contributions (NDCs), or national action plans for reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts defined by the Paris Agreement.

Nearly 200 nations have gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, for COP29 climate talks this week to thrash out the details of a deal known as the New Collective Quantified Goal, designed to deliver billions of dollars of climate finance to the regions that need it the most. But the United States, Europe and others say they will only commit to the fund if the list of countries contributing to it is widened to include the likes of China, South Korea and Singapore, and the resulting deadlock could block progress during the talks.

Meanwhile, COP29 follows a year of weather disasters that have emboldened developing countries in their demands for climate cash. 

Pakistan is ranked the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. In 2022, devastating floods killed over 1,700 people and affected over 33 million, with economic losses exceeding $30 billion. International donors pledged over $9 billion last January to aid Pakistan’s flood recovery but officials say little of the promised funds have been received so far.

“Developing countries will need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half their current NDCs,” Sharif said in an address on the sidelines of the World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit.

“Donor countries should fulfill their commitment to provide 0.7 percent of their gross national income [as development assistance] and capitalize existing climate funds.”

One such commitment, the $100 billion Annual Climate Finance pledge established over a decade ago at COP15, is now reported by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to have reached only $160 billion, Sharif said. 

“Despite this number remaining a tiny proportion of the defined need, a significant part of this financing is dispersed in the form of loans, further enhancing the debt burden on developing nations and potentially pushing them toward mounting debt traps, I call them death traps,” Sharif added.

“Pakistan alongside many other developing countries calls for stronger, more equitable climate finance mechanisms. Debt cannot become the acceptable new normal in climate financing which is why we must resume focus on non-debt financing solutions, enabling countries to fund climate initiatives.”

Sharif also called on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to set up a committee to review NDCs “periodically.”

“We need to double adaptation financing from present level and loss and damage funds must be enhanced and directed toward resilient infrastructure and other pressing needs,” Sharif added.

Governments last year pledged $800 million toward a new ‘loss and damage’ fund to help poorer nations being hit by climate-fueled disasters. The fund, which has a director and a host nation, will now be deciding how the funds should be dispersed and calling for more contributions at COP29.

On Tuesday, the world’s top multilateral banks, including the World Bank, European Investment Bank and Asian Development Bank, pledged to ramp up climate finance to low and middle income countries to $120 billion a year by 2030 as part of efforts at COP29 to agree to an ambitious annual target.

Reaffirming a goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average by 2050, the new figure is a more than 60 percent increase on what the group of 10 multilateral development banks (MDBs) had funneled to poorer nations last year, according to a statement released during the UN climate summit.

The new figure includes $42 billion to help adapt to the impacts of extreme weather, a 70 percent increase over the 2023 number.

Topics: Pakistan COP29 Shehbaz Sharif

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