OmanObserver_30-06-13

SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2013
By-elections to be held in 37
constituencies on August 22
ISLAMABAD — By-elections in as
many as 37 constituencies of national
and provincial assemblies will be held
on August 22.
Among them are the constituencies
where elections could not be held
on May 11 due to death of candidates,
those which have fallen vacant because
of resignations of the winners of
more than one seat and those where
elections have been declared void by
the Election Commission of Pakistan
(ECP).
Although it appears to be a deviation
from Article 224 (4) of the constitution
which requires elections
within 60 days after a seat falls vacant,
a senior oficial of the ECP said that
the decision had been taken on the request
of political parties because Eid
al Fitr was falling in the second week
of August.
The 15 National Assembly constituencies
where by-elections are to
be held are NA-1 (Peshawar), NA-5
(Nowshera), NA-13 (Swabi), NA-25
(D I Khan-cum-Tank), NA-27 (Lakki
Marwat), NA-48 (Islamabad), NA-68
(Sargodha), NA-71 (Mianwali), NA-83
(Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore), NA-
177 (Muzaffargarh), NA-235 (Sanghar),
NA-237 (Thatta), NA-254 (Karachi)
and NA-262 (Killa Abdullah).
NA-1 and NA-71 have been vacated
by Imran Khan, the chief of Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), who has
retained NA-56 (Rawalpindi). Imran
Khan was perhaps the only prominent
political leader who contested polls
from four NA seats. He lost election on
one seat from Lahore to NA Speaker
Ayaz Sadiq.
NA-68 has been vacated by Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has retained
NA-120 (Lahore).
NA-129 has been vacated by Punjab
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who
has retained a provincial assembly
seat.
NA-5 and NA-13 have been vacated
by Pervez Khattak and Asad Qaisar of
PTI, who have retained their seats in
the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
Both NA-25 and NA-27 have been
vacated by Maulana Fazlur Rehman,
the chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-
Fazal, who has retained NA-24.
NA-177 has been vacated by Jamshed
Ahmad Dasti who contested the
election as an independent candidate.
Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi of PML-F
vacated NA-235 and retained NA-216
(Khairpur).NA-216 has been vacated
by Mehmood Khan Achakzai, the chief
of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party,
who has retained NA-259 (Quetta).
Elections on NA-83 and NA-254
could not be held on May 11 due to
death of candidates.
The winning candidate of NA-237
in May 11 elections has been declared
disqualiied by the Supreme Court.
Out of 22 constituencies of provincial
assemblies, 14 are from
Punjab, three each from Sindh and
Balochistan, and two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
— Internews
Gas prices hiked
by 128pc in
eight years
ISLAMABAD — The Sui
Northern Gas Pipelines
Limited (SNGPL) of Pakistan
yesterday told the
Senate committee on petroleum
and natural resources
that during the
last ive years commercial
consumers committed gas
theft worth Rs 800 million
($8.081 million).
The senate committee,
chaired by Mohammad
Yousuf, was informed that
in the last eight years, the
cost of gas has jacked up
by 128 per cent, which
resulted in enhanced gas
theft.
During the last ive
years, the Sui Northern
has detected Rs 800 million
gas theft committed
by commercial consumers
and Rs 10 million gas theft
by industrial consumers.
SNGPL line losses stood
at 10.4 per cent and theft
stood at four per cent.
Ex-speaker to
be hope for
breast cancer
survivors
ISLAMABAD — After
recently going through
breast cancer Dr Fehmida
Mirza, former speaker
of Pakistan's National
Assembly (the Lower
House), announced that
she was joining the Pink
Ribbon Movement to become
beacon of hope for
breast cancer survivors.
Breaking this smoke
screen of social taboo
associated with breast
cancer in Pakistan, a wellknown
igure has shown
courage to stand upfront
and share her story.
Dr Mirza said breast
cancer is one of the many
forms of cancers so it
should be seen as a disease
rather than associating
it with sexuality of
women. And it is important
to create awareness
among women of early
detection as chances of
survival are more.
She shared her experience
and encouraged
other women to support
the cause for the good of
everyone.
"It means so much to
me to be part of a breast
cancer awareness campaign.
I wholeheartedly
support the efforts for the
vital work of spreading
awareness and engaging
survivorship undertaken
by Pink Ribbon Campaign,"
she said. — Internews
PAKISTAN
Capital punishment: policy
on stay being reviewed
KARACHI — As the clock ticks and the
hours go by, some 6,000 Pakistani prisoners
on death row await to hear the verdict
on how much life is left. President Asif Ali
Zardari had granted a stay on the execution
of the death convicts till June 30 this
year.
Since 2008 none of the jailers across the
country had to shed a red handkerchief,
because President Asif Zardari granted
a stay on executions reportedly when he
took charge of his ofice in September
2008.
Article 45 of the 1973 Constitution empowers
the president to pardon or remit
convictions.
The article reads, "President shall have
the power to grant pardon, reprieve and
respite, and to remit, suspend or commute
any sentence passed by any court, tribunal
5
or other authority".
When oficials at the presidency were
asked, they denied knowledge about anything
substantial being on the president's
table regarding this.
According to the presidency, after the
passage of 18th amendment, once an ordinance
is promulgated by the president, it
needs vetting by the parliament to be endorsed,
extended or validated.
Once it gets proved, it goes to the presidency
through law ministry to get promulgated
but still it needs parliament's approval.
Pakistan is believed to have one of the
largest populations of condemned prisoners
and inmates on death row in the
world — 7,164 according to oficial prison
records. The Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan puts the number at 8,000.