Letter to the tribunal: ECP ruling is unfair, says Sadiq
The commission has referred a petition against Ayaz Sadiq to an election tribunal
PHOTO: ONLINE
LAHORE:
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday lashed out at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for referring a petition against him to an election tribunal without hearing him on the subject.
Talking to reporters after inaugurating a hospital in Samanabad in his NA-122 constituency, he highlighted errors in the ECP letter which mentioned that the by-election was held in 2013. “Everybody knows that the by-election in NA-122 took place in 2015. If the ECP, despite having millions of rupees at its disposal, cannot draft a one-page letter correctly, I am ready to offer them services from my secretariat. They referred a petition against me to a tribunal without hearing me. Should I call it injustice or inefficiency?” he questioned.
. The petitioner alleged that at least 30,000 voters had been removed from NA-122 lists before the by-poll. The petitioner demanded the result of the by-election be nullified.
“If votes were transferred, what have I got to do with this?” Sadiq said. “The ECP cannot blame me for its own mistakes. They should answer how the votes were transferred and who was involved in this,” the speaker added.
Sadiq said the by-election was supervised of Pakistan Army. “Despite this, the PTI is once again complaining alleging rigging,” he said.
“It is unfair of the ECP to refer the petition to the tribunal without including my response,” he added.
Ayaz Sadiq had defeated Abdul Aleem Khan in the by-election on October 11. He had won this seat in general election of 2013 against PTI chairman Imran Khan who had later moved a petition alleging rigging.
To a question about his appearance before election tribunal on December 22, Sadiq said he had not decided whether or not he was going to appear in person.
‘Govt suffers from PTI-phobia’
“The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz used state’s resources to influence the by-election in NA-122. They are doing the same in Lodhran ahead of the by-election there. This indicates that the government suffers from a PTI phobia,” said Aleem Khan, political adviser to Pakistan Tehreeki-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman, said on Sunday.
He said the PML-N was using state machinery to rig the upcoming election. He was addressing newsmen after a visit to Lodhran, where by-election will be held on December 23.
Khan said that PML-N was bent upon about rigging elections to secure the Lodhran seat.
He said bureaucrats were complicit with the PML-N in rigging the election. “Voter lists are being altered on the orders of the PML-N leaders,” he said.
Despite this, he said, Jehangir Tareen would be successful in the upcoming election. “Imran Khan has dreams of free, fair and transparent elections. This dream will be realised,” he said.
Responding to a press conference held by Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, Khan said that this time the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan would be in favour of the PTI. “Sadiq should prepare to be discharged from his office once again,” he said. Khan said Moshin Latif, the PML-N candidate for PP-147, had challenged the election result in NA-122. “This shows that even the PML-N acknowledges that the election was rigged,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2015.
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday lashed out at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for referring a petition against him to an election tribunal without hearing him on the subject.
Talking to reporters after inaugurating a hospital in Samanabad in his NA-122 constituency, he highlighted errors in the ECP letter which mentioned that the by-election was held in 2013. “Everybody knows that the by-election in NA-122 took place in 2015. If the ECP, despite having millions of rupees at its disposal, cannot draft a one-page letter correctly, I am ready to offer them services from my secretariat. They referred a petition against me to a tribunal without hearing me. Should I call it injustice or inefficiency?” he questioned.
. The petitioner alleged that at least 30,000 voters had been removed from NA-122 lists before the by-poll. The petitioner demanded the result of the by-election be nullified.
“If votes were transferred, what have I got to do with this?” Sadiq said. “The ECP cannot blame me for its own mistakes. They should answer how the votes were transferred and who was involved in this,” the speaker added.
Sadiq said the by-election was supervised of Pakistan Army. “Despite this, the PTI is once again complaining alleging rigging,” he said.
“It is unfair of the ECP to refer the petition to the tribunal without including my response,” he added.
Ayaz Sadiq had defeated Abdul Aleem Khan in the by-election on October 11. He had won this seat in general election of 2013 against PTI chairman Imran Khan who had later moved a petition alleging rigging.
To a question about his appearance before election tribunal on December 22, Sadiq said he had not decided whether or not he was going to appear in person.
‘Govt suffers from PTI-phobia’
“The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz used state’s resources to influence the by-election in NA-122. They are doing the same in Lodhran ahead of the by-election there. This indicates that the government suffers from a PTI phobia,” said Aleem Khan, political adviser to Pakistan Tehreeki-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman, said on Sunday.
He said the PML-N was using state machinery to rig the upcoming election. He was addressing newsmen after a visit to Lodhran, where by-election will be held on December 23.
Khan said that PML-N was bent upon about rigging elections to secure the Lodhran seat.
He said bureaucrats were complicit with the PML-N in rigging the election. “Voter lists are being altered on the orders of the PML-N leaders,” he said.
Despite this, he said, Jehangir Tareen would be successful in the upcoming election. “Imran Khan has dreams of free, fair and transparent elections. This dream will be realised,” he said.
Responding to a press conference held by Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, Khan said that this time the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan would be in favour of the PTI. “Sadiq should prepare to be discharged from his office once again,” he said. Khan said Moshin Latif, the PML-N candidate for PP-147, had challenged the election result in NA-122. “This shows that even the PML-N acknowledges that the election was rigged,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2015.