2022 Punjab Elections: Latest News and Updates
In the latest of news, former Pak PM Nawaz Sharif has been jailed over corruption charges after the country’s top court overturned his acquittal in the Panama Papers case. The Supreme Court announced their verdict on Friday, following which Sharif and daughter Maryam were arrested and taken to Islamabad’s Adiala Jail. They have been sentenced to 10 years each in prison and slapped with fines equivalent to £8 million ($10m). The case against them also includes two sons – Hassan and Hussain Nawaz – as well as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar who was being held at an undisclosed location when the verdict was announced.
When is the election?
The election has not been announced yet, but Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to visit the province of Punjab sometime before the election. The election will be Pakistan's first since former PM Nawaz Sharif was removed from office on corruption charges, marking a significant milestone in recent political history. A number of big-name politicians are set to make moves into new parties, or make runs at sitting MP's seats. Stay tuned!
Is there an official announcement?
Pakistan has held their National Assembly elections on Wednesday, July 25th. There are 275 members of the National Assembly that have been elected to the Parliament. Five provinces are now readying for the provincial assembly elections. Punjab Pakistan was due to be holding its legislative election on August 23rd but has cancelled them for a later date yet unknown. It is being rumored by some news sources that Governor Salmaan Taseer died in Islamabad due to an attack from a terrorist group. This caused many politicians from various parties as well as the president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, to cancel their visits out of safety concerns.
How many seats in Punjab?
Punjab has historically always been Pakistan's most populous province. This province is home to over half of the country's population. As such, any government that wants to win will have to focus on winning seats in this electoral district. There are 146 seats in Punjab's provincial assembly, with 116 belonging to general seats and 30 belonging to reserved seats for women from different backgrounds. This is the same number as there were in the 2008 election. The number of votes needed for a member of parliament (MP) is also known as simple majority, which can be achieved with as few as 17,000 votes.
Candidates announced so far
So far, six candidates have been announced for the Pakistani elections in 2022. A brief introduction of them is given below:
Nawaz Sharif has served as Prime Minister from 1990 to 1993 and from 1997 to 1999; he was also elected Prime Minister on 12 July 2018 after his opposition party won a majority in the national election.
Imran Khan is an active social worker, politician, former cricketer, philanthropist, and recipient of Pakistan's civil awards Hilal-i-Imtiaz and Nishan-e-Pakistan. Khan was the parliamentary leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) until November 2007.
Who are the current MP's?
The Punjab is an important province in Pakistan and the provincial capital Lahore, is also Pakistan's second largest city. Historically, it has been known as the breadbasket of the country because of its fertile alluvial soil. It is home to both Punjabi and Pashtun populations, with their regional cultures reflecting this demographic distribution. The incumbent Chief Minister is Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, who was elected in 2018 on the PML-N ticket with a strong lead over his opponents.
The Nawaz Sharif government appointed Haider Hussain Wynne as Governor of the province on 23 September 2008. Wynne served as caretaker until January 2013 when he was replaced by Sardar Latif Khan Khosa on 5 January 2013 after elections were held.
Will PM Modi contest from UP again?
Today is sad news in Pakistan as Imran Khan has been declared the Prime Minister. This means that the new government will take power on 18th August. Reports also suggest that if current CM Shehbaz Sharif can muster enough support, he may contest for elections from his home town Multan. But a bigger question is, will Narendra Modi contest for elections from UP again? The election date of this state has not yet been announced but it is expected to be scheduled between the 3rd and 7th December.
A big reason why he can contest is because BJP rules Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh now.
What could be the impact of this on national politics?
At this point in the game, Imran Khan's main competitor is Reham Khan, who recently announced her decision to stand as an independent candidate. Reham previously served as a political journalist before divorcing Pakistan's former Prime Minister and becoming the second wife of another former Premier - one-time cricketing superstar Imran Khan. Nevertheless, she remained at arm's length from politics for much of her career until now. The fact that she's a woman presents a problem for the conservatives on both sides of Pakistan's liberal-conservative divide because she may be seen as too Westernized to represent conservative values. Furthermore, there are questions about how well known she really is among Pakistanis.
It's important to remember that Pakistan has a history of allowing women to serve in high-level political positions. Benazir Bhutto was twice elected Prime Minister, and while she was assassinated in 2007 before completing her term, she served as PM prior to that. The country also had former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari for nearly a decade between 2008 and 2018. His wife, who goes by her first name Bilawal or Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on social media, is now Chief of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which recently held its own National Convention where Zardari announced he would not run for election in 2018.
Here's what will make a difference between then and now
Pakistan was not always the thriving nation it is today. For more than 60 years, Pakistan was trapped in a web of difficulties that hindered its progress. But now, with the introduction of economic reforms that focus on initiatives to boost Pakistan's economy, people are feeling more hopeful about their future. These initiatives are not only taking place in Punjab; they're reaching to all corners of the country to give people equal opportunities for success.
Pakistan's economy is currently experiencing slow but steady growth. The country has been able to pull itself out of a challenging economic crisis by implementing changes to their economic policies. Pakistan's growth is attributed mainly to its foreign policy, which emphasizes economic diplomacy in order to boost economic opportunities within its borders. Thanks to these steps, as well as reforms made by previous governments, people across Pakistan are more hopeful about their future. They feel that new opportunities await them, especially in education and healthcare sectors. All of these have played a big role in pushing Pakistan towards development.
