Jamaat-e-Islami has issued party tickets to 243 candidates for a total of 266 National Assembly seats in the country: Liaqat Baloch
LAHORE, Jan 12 (SABAH): Jamaat-e-Islami has issued party tickets to 243 candidates for a total of 266 National Assembly seats in the country, announced JI vice-emir Liaqat Baloch on Friday.
During a press conference held at Mansoorah, Liaqat Baloch shared that JI has put forward 531 candidates for the elections on a total of 593 provincial assembly seats.
He said the finalization of tickets was done by the central parliamentary board based on recommendations from provincial and district boards.
At the female quota set by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Liaqat Baloch mentioned that nine women are contesting elections on national assembly seats and are participating on provincial assembly seats. JI submitted a list of 42 women and 15 candidates on special quota for females and minorities, he said.
Liaqat Baloch provided details about the distribution of candidates across different provinces, stating that JI has fielded 45 contestants for 45 national assembly seats in KP, 13 for 16 seats in Balochistan, 33 for 39 seats in interior Sindh, and 22 for 22 seats in Karachi while 128 candidates are contesting from Punjab national assembly seats.
Highlighting the party’s commitment to youth, Liaqat Baloch noted that 62% of the tickets were issued to youth. He said 88% of the contestants hold graduate degrees, including engineers, doctors, and PhD scholars.
He emphasized the need for free and fair elections with equal opportunities for all political parties, expressing confidence about the timely conduct of elections.
Liaqat Baloch urged the ECP to enforce the election code of conduct to avoid controversies like those observed in the 2013 and 2018 elections. In response to a question regarding the resignations of two senior judges of the Supreme Court, he stated that it is the duty of the top court to hold an inquiry and disclose the real facts to the public, as it concerns the credibility of the institution.
Deputy Chief of the JI Dr. Farid Ahmed Piracha and JI Information Secretary Qaiser Sharif were also present on the occasion.