The Election Commission of Pakistan has issued the schedule for the Presidential election, which will be held on 4th September. So far as the number game in all provincial assemblies, National Assembly and Senate is concerned, PTI leads with 346 votes. The opposition alliance has 320 votes while the independents’ score stand at 23. But all independents would not vote for the PML-N’s candidate. There is a possibility that five to six independents would vote for PTI’s nominee Dr. Arif Alvi, which shows that PTI is in comfortable position to get its President elected. ECP has asked would be presidential candidates to submit their nomination papers to presiding officers till August 27 (on Monday). The candidates can file their nomination papers with presiding officers in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta till 12 noon.
Meanwhile Senators from the former Fata Aurangzeb Khan, Sajjad Turi, Momin Khan Afridi and former MNA Nasir Khan and Mirza Mohammad Ayub formally announced to join the PTI following a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday. Thus Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf is confident that its candidate Dr. Arif Alvi will win the presidential election comfortably. A meeting presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan discussed input from MPAs from the four provinces. Later, briefing the media at the Bani Gala residence of Imran Khan, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said: “Dr Arif Alvi will become the president of Pakistan as the PTI has the support of the required number of voters.” He added the PTI enjoyed the support of its allies – the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Balochistan Awami Party and Grand Democratic Alliance.
The grand opposition on Saturday failed to sort out differences over fielding a consensus candidate for the office of the country’s president. It had decided to continue the negotiations on the issue today (Sunday) as well. A multi-party conference (MPC) of 11 opposition parties was hosted by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at the party’s supremo Nawaz Sharif’s Kashmir Point residence in Murree. Hectic discussions continued till late on Saturday night but without reaching any conclusion. The sticking point was the nomination of Aitzaz Ahsan as the Pakistan Peoples Party candidate in presidential election against the PTI’s Arif Alvi. The PML-N has already rejected the name of Aitzaz while the PPP wanted to stick to its nomination which caused rift among the opposition ranks. Shehbaz Sharif indicated that there could be surprise; perhaps PML-N will vote for PPP nominee.
However, the PML-N had expressed strong reservations over the nomination and for not being consulted beforehand. On Saturday night, the PPP delegation sought time to speak to its leadership while other opposition groups have given leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif mandate to announce their joint candidate by Sunday. The PPP is not willing to withdraw its nomination of Aitzaz Ahsan. In the multi-party meeting, the PPP’s second tier leadership attended the moot which was presided over by PML-N President and Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif. The meeting continued for more than four hours but remained inconclusive. It means that PTI’s nominee is poised to win comfortably.
The hall of the National Assembly will be the polling station for members of the National Assembly and Senate, while members of the provincial assemblies would cast their votes in the halls of their respective assemblies whose special sessions would be called by their speakers.
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