Pakistan: Balochistan government suspends cellular and internet services in Quetta

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Balochistan: The Jamiat Ulema-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) announced a shutter-down strike, prompting the Balochistan government to suspend internet and cellphone services in Quetta for two days, according to The News International.

In protest of suspected “rigging” during the re-election of PB-45 Quetta VIII, a crucial Balochistani Assembly seat, the strike was announced on Sunday.

The provincial emir of the JUI-F said, “The protest will continue until we get our rights,” and he called on followers to join the strike that day. With the party pointing to anomalies in the polling process, the statement was made as emotions were on the rise. JUI-F’s larger effort to combat what it views as election misconduct includes the strike.

Ali Madad Khattak, a candidate for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), won the re-election with 6,883 votes, according to unofficial and unverified data. With 4,122 votes, Nasarullah Zayrai of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) came in second, while Usman Pirkani of the JUI-F came in third with 3,731 votes.
Notably, according to The News International, Haji Ali Madad Jattak of the PPP has previously held the PB-45 seat.

The Supreme Court’s upholding of the electoral tribunal’s order for a recount at 15 voting places in January sparked the dispute surrounding the constituency. An appeal filed by Mir Ali Madad Jattak of the PPP was denied by a three-judge panel chaired by Justice Shahid Waheed and consisting of Justices Irfan Saadat Khan and Aqeel Abbasi.
Due to anomalies in Form 45, a crucial document in the vote-counting procedure, the recount was judged essential.

“As per the record of the election tribunal, fraud was committed in Form 45 across 15 polling stations in the constituency,” the court said in a comprehensive 25-page ruling written by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi.

According to The News International, the petitioner’s vote total increased by an inexplicable 4,912 throughout the recount, while his opponent’s tally stayed at 1,623.

Communication services have been suspended by the government in an effort to prevent disruption during the JUI-F strike. The strike and its effects on Quetta’s citizens underscore the continuing election dispute and its wider ramifications amid rising political tensions.