The Election Commission of Pakistan has published the name of Ali Madad of Pakistan Peoples Party as candidate returned to the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan as a result of re-poll at fifteen polling stations of PB-45 Quetta-VIII held on 5th January 2025 from PB-45 Quetta-VIII.

A notification issued by Election Commission of Pakistan on January 8, 2025 reads, ‘In pursuance of the provision of sub-section (1) of Section 98 of the Elections Act,2017 (XXXIII of 2017), the Election Commission of Pakistan hereby publishes the name of candidate returned to the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan as a result of re-poll at fifteen polling stations held on 5th January 2025.

Meanwhile, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) observed a strike in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan on Wednesday in protest against the alleged rigging in by-polls for the provincial assembly seat PB-45 Quetta-VIII.

Earlier on Supreme Court’s order, the re-polling in 15 polling stations of Balochistan Assembly constituency PB-45 Quetta-VIII was held on January 5 in which candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Ali Madad Jattak retained his Balochistan Assembly seat by defeating JUI-F candidate Mir Usman Pirkani.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman said that the people of Pakistan do not recognise the incumbent parliament as it is a product of ‘rigging’. Addressing a presser in Karachi, the JUI-F chief said that the newly elected parliamentarians are not representatives of the people but a product of rigging. He said that the General Elections 2024 is the most ‘rigged’ polls in the country’s history, vowing to carry out a country-wide movement against the same.

JUI-F’s provincial emir Senator Maulana Abdul Wasey claimed that his party’s candidate had won the election, but the election commission and provincial government ‘manipulated the results in favour of PPP candidate Ali Madad Jattak through Form 47, as they had done during the general elections.