Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim. PHOTO: SANA/FILE
ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim resigned from his post, Express News reported on Wednesday.
Ebrahim's resignation was confirmed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The resignation has been sent to the president for approval.
Ebrahim, one of the country’s most respected jurists, oversaw the May 11, 2013 general elections of Pakistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari had approved the appointment of Ebrahim as the new Chief Election Commissioner in July 2012 after a parliamentary panel selected him for the crucial post. He was the 24th individual to occupy the post after 12 permanent and 11 acting chief election commissioners.
Ebrahim was expected to hold the position for five years.
Read Fakhruddin G Ebrahim’s 2012 profile: ‘An icon of democracy’
His initial appointment was hailed across the entire political spectrum, as well as the legal fraternity and civil society, but following the May 11 elections, the PPP, PTI and other major political players said the commissioner and the ECP had failed to deliver "free and fair" elections.
PPP calls for more resignations
Commenting on the resignation, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah said all other officials of the ECP should also resign. He had earlier called for the resignation of the chief election commissioner and all four members of the ECP for “failing to protect their independence”.
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COMMENTS (65)
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A Pakistani Person as "A Lawyer"," A Judge",'" A Governor" just cannot be a man of integrity
IK will be thinking whom to be blamed as soft target now....
No country for weak men.
Fhakhru bhai lost his life long repu over these controvertial elections!!!
Better late than never
Will the CJ ever have the moral courage to step down after the CEC???? Never. Ever.
Ohhhh Sorry Imran khan please try to find some one other than this old honest man to target for your blame game politics after being severely defeated in election 2013............. because CJ is also going to be retired soon to make you tense so please hurry up yarrrrrrrrr
Good riddance
Fakhru Bhai I hope you get what you deserve!
In a nation of sheep, he was among the very few upright people. Pakistan does not deserve such people.
Mission accomplished Mr. Fakhru, now you can go home and sleep comfortably
He may be the most decent and honest person in Pakistan but the fact is that he failed to perform what he was expected to perform and paid for. What I saw from far away was that people were standing in heat for hours and hours in some constituencies in Karachi and there was no sign of the officials who were suppose to conduct the polling. In some designated voting places the voting did not even start for 6 hours. Those who were so incompetent or bought should have been prosecuted but nothing happened to them because they belonged to a certain community in Karachi who are notorious for arm twisting and Black mailing the business community. Yes, there was blatant rigging in Karachi, no doubt about it, all of them should have resign for not performing their duty for which they are being paid handsomely and don't forget the perks that go along with it.
Dear PTI fans, Those of you who claim that his resignation has come about as a result of the general Elections, please use some common sense. Those were held almost THREE MONTHS ago! He has obviously resigned because of the SC's ruling of pushing back the Presidential elections, held YESTERDAY. I'm not a PPP supporter, but theirs as well as Fakhruddin Sahb's stances are morally right. I think IK is guilty in this case too, along with PML N and SC. Khan's fault being lending legitimacy to the Presidential Elections by participating.
@including election in KPP
his job is over, now its time to reward him like sethi.
The other four are the original culprits
Go home you honest but surely incompetent old man, who couldn't give nothing to coming generation even with his honesty,leaving us with same corrupt filthy status-quo,elected through same old thappa system,which could be avoided by electronic voting.
Fakhru Bhai is fit to become new Army Chief.
CJ has not resigned yet?
After lost of credibility finally he resigned but he done his job very well
Now it is very good time to take resignation of Chief Justice of Sharif courts His Highness, Qibla, Janab shadeed Mohtram Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry... and close the chapter of so called notorious fair and free elections in the history of Pakistan.
Justice Fakruddin G Ibrahim will be remembered as the 2nd best chief election commissioner in the history of Pakistan, the first one being justice Abdus Sattar who conducted 1970 general election of united Pakistan.The revered justice never aspired for the job and in age of 84 years, he did his national duty very honestly. It is the history of pakistan politics that defeated parties never realize their mistakes,misdeeds and find it convenient to blame the election commission and CEC for their defeat. Does PTI and PPP wants CECs like Justice S A Nusrat and justice Irshad Hussain Khan who conducted the most rigged referendums and manipulated elections for the dictators in the history of Pakistan. International observers including Eureopeon Union Observers had dcleared that 90% election process was transparent . How one man can assure 100% transparancy in a totally corrupt society. Let PPP and PTI bring Justice Dogar or Justice Wajheuddin as CEC and conduct free nd fair ..local bodies election.. acceptable to all parties in the country.
ECP commissioner's main task was to conduct free and fair elections and after the elections scrutinize the results. If the top management cannot do their job properly they should find someone else. This is how real business is done in the market. Fakhru bhai is a credible individual but lets admit he wasn't fit for the job. You need someone younger and more agressive.
The person with integrity has resigned. The other members continue to stick on, and so is the controversial judges of the superior judiciary. Tells volumes about their lack of character and integrity.
Mission Accomplished...... He let down the whole nation
@Put your hands together!: Couldn't have said it better. My mother, who has only voted PPP all her life voted PTI this time, several friends who always voted PML-N voted PTI, our cook, gardner, the CDA workers who work in our street voted PTI, my car mechanic and his entire family of 17 people all voted PTI, some of whom I ran into at the last jalsa at d-chowk before the election. So your argument of just a "burger" facebooking crowd voting for PTI is hilarious. I myself have been to 4 PTI jalsas and seen people from ALL walks of life (people in chapals, elders, women, to people in Prados) attending the jalsas and many of whom I saw at the pooling station on election day. So save the lame excuses that we are just arm chair burger facebook supporters only - we are out on the streets and voting just like anyone else. And for the record, IK always said that he respects Ibrahim s'b but doesnot trust the 4 people under him who are the ones really pulling the strings. Resigning now is useless - damage has been done.
Finally.
The Imran khan will find out that running a country is quite different than running after the cricket Ball.
100 choohay kha kay billi haj ko chali. Not impressed.
@aaaaa: First of all you are incorrect. Interestingly the elections before this one are deemed most credible. Second point, comparing them to past elections is a very poor choice of benchmark.
Fakhruddin Ebrahim is a man of impeccable reputation and has been all his life. By accepting the position of CEC at this age, he has a blemish on his otherwise untainted integrity.
He allowed the ECP to be hijacked by some corrupt officials who were involved in massive (alleged) rigging in general elections. Also, not standing his ground before the Supreme Court about the date he had announced earlier for Presidential elections, he damaged the integrity and independence of ECP.
However, he must not leave before completion of by-elections, otherwise, he will hand over the ECP to same officials who were allegedly involved in rigging earlier. He should stay and complete inquiry into rigging and make sure he leaves with a clean record.
He was the part of PPP & PML-N combine strategy and now he resigned after get his job done by conducting unfair elections. He particularly did not allow army to play any role in the last eletions so that PML-N can cheat. I have firm believe that you have to pay very heavy price for this cheating with nation in your life and after.
Actually four members are notorious and they are political/CJP appointees so they continue playing dirty game.
Also having said that, at least Mr. Fakhruddin Ibrahim has some honour I am sure. Never in my life have I seen anyone resigning in Pakistan for not doing his job properly, but atleast he realized his mistakes and resigned.
@Bashir Ahmad: Dont know what are you talking about, What makes you think that its only facebook users that have voted for IK. FYI the maids in my home voted for PTI, the labour that works in my workplace has voted for PTI. And I am afraid none of them are on facebook. You can keep those stats to you, while I will beleieve what I have seen with my eyes i.e the rigging was done at its optimum level.
And now if the CEC resigns, it will do no favour to the country. Most of the people around me for the first time felt a ray of hope for this usually hopeless country and he totally damaged it.
Earlier ECP told that imran khan criticism on ECP is baseless.http://tribune.com.pk/story/584514/imran-khans-election-rigging-allegations-are-baseless-ecp/ The resignation of Fakhruddin G Ebrahim proves that imran khan point of view on ECP was right as it failed to conduct free and fare elections on 11 May
Damage has al ready been done. His resignation will not do the injustice done by his election commission +1
PTI burgers couldn't accept their defeat and started criticising a man who had more transparent past than Imran Khan.
THE old man an agent of imperial powers successfully accomplished his JOB for which he was brought.
whats the point now? tooooooooooooo late .you have done the damage
F.G Ebrahim seems to have accepted responsibility for his flaws and resigned with dignity intact. I thank him for conducting what EVERY SINGLE OUTSIDE INDEPENDENT observer termed the 'MOST free and fair elections in this country's HISTORY'. As opposed to a certain CM, who is still in office even after blaming intelligence agencies for something that was entirely his own responsibility.
now IK will be happy, bring new guy from moon
@Fizza Rizvi: Agreed. He came to do 2 things, PMLN for government and Nawaz for prime minister at what level of corruption required. Mission accomplished and now time for holidays.
This is resignation should have come with an apology and should have been tendered much earlier. The elections were a massive failure. The ECP did not have simple common sense logic to ensure fair and free elections. They called the army but kept them outside. MQM rigged every single ballot box in Karachi and they could do nothing. It was mismanaged, badly planned and in the dark ages. Imagine this, if you ask anyone in Karachi who voted anywhere on the other side of the bridge, they will tell you one thing. We wanted to vote for x party but MQM forced us to vote for them. Now isn't this a total failure for the ECP. Secondly, the money they spent and got allocated. Ridiculous and Criminal.
resignation will not solve the damage he has done to pakistan already for next 5 years.
If the wining/loosing margin was narrow than IK had a point to call it rigged elections and demand re-election. Dear PTI FB users please bear in mind that out of 176.7 million population of Pakistan only 9 million are FB users. IK please stop the rhetoric and accept the outcome with dignity otherwise the slogan of CHANGE will be taken as rhetoric. IK extensive pressure on EC made us to lose the services of a dedicated & a person of integrity.
Finally we have someone in Pakistan who had the Moral courage to resign. You did your best fakhru bhai.
Considering his old age, he did a great job. Everyone over 100 years is so proud of him.
No surprise! His job was over.
Damage has al ready been done. His resignation will not do the injustice done by his election commission
Resignation is a clear message to expose controversial elections.
Congrats PTI and PPP
After all this damage you remember to resign.
yes job done, now relax! So what if you have handed the nation to the traitors for another 5 years.
He has let down the people of Pakistan and his resignation was impending since the debacle of 11th May. Now the Nooras will put in another puppet CEC in his place. Pakistan can never have free and fair election unless an impartial EC is there.
Sorry state of affairs...how can a person of his integrity could continue to work with all this blame-game
A very sad news indeed, this man tried his level best to conduct as fair elections as possible in these times & limited resources. He shldnt hv resigned just for the sake of loosing parties daily rants led by IK
Its useless to cry over spill milk
This is one of the many causalities of SCP's belligerence.
Tahirul Quadri was so right. The other four political appointees have chewed up and spat out Fakhru bhai, as expected. Rigged EC. Rigged elections.
Thanks God at last.. PML N will at least say he was the best administrator..
You should have resigned immediately after you failed to conduct fair elections on May 11. But it is Pakistan where all is fair.