The opposition on Sunday slammed the government over the proposed use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) saying the move is a “conspiracy” to steal the next general elections and make the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) “controversial”.
Responding to federal ministers Fawad Chaudhry and Shibli Faraz presser, PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said, “the federal ministers have lost their temper after the notices of the election commission".
“Earlier the election commission was threatened to be set on fire by a sitting federal minister and now an organised campaign is being launched to make the constitutional body controversial."
Last week, Railways Minister Azam Khan Swati lambasted the ECP during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, accusing it of taking bribes to rig elections and saying that such institutions should be “set on fire”.
His claims were backed by Fawad who later in the day termed the CEC a "mouthpiece for the opposition".
Read EVM use needs sanction of parliament: IHC
Khokhar said the federal government was trying to “tarnish” the image of the election commission in order to “rig the next general elections”.
“The electronic voting machine plan is actually a conspiracy to steal the polls.”
He recalled that the election supervisor had opposed the government's proposal to use EVMs and raised concerns over it during the hearing of Senate standing committee.
He said the CEC had refused to accept “government’s pressure” on NA-75 Daska constituency by-polls.
“The election commission stood against Daska rigging and suspended police and administration officers,” he said.
“The CEC is trying to restore the credibility of the election commission while the federal government wants to control [the election supervisor]."
In February, by-polls in Daska were declared null and void after the ECP ordered a re-election in the constituency on the suspicions that the results may have been falsified. The ruling PTI had claimed victory in the polls. In April, PML-N was declared successful in the re-election.
Khokhar said the government ministers were accusing the CEC to “isolate” him and make his position controversial. “However, he was nominated by PTI leadership in the past for this position.”
"All opposition parties, lawyers, journalists and other stakeholders should stand with the election commission for rule of law, supremacy of constitution and transparent elections," Khokhar concluded.
Separately, PPP leader Shazi Marri said her party rejected the “anti-people” presidential ordinance imposing additional tax on people in the electricity bills.
“People are already bearing indirect taxes and experiencing inflation and unemployment. They are suffering from power and gas shedding and facing shortage of water,” she stated.PML-N leader Ahsan
Iqbal said the government representatives were trying to “blackmail the ECP”.
The government ministers are trying to black the election commission by giving aggressive statements so that they can have a decision of their choice in the Daska rigging case and the foreign funding case, Iqbal tweeted.
PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb demanded “strong punitive action” against the PTI federal ministers for attempting to “blackmail” the ECP and “inciting” the members of the electoral supervisor against the CEC.
Read more PML-N, govt continue to battle over EVMs
"Imran Khan has created the entire fiasco only to pressure and blackmail the election commission to give a decision in his favour in the illegal foreign funding case,” the PML-N leader said in a statement.
“The government is trying to push the ECP to not issue the report exposing the truth about the Daska election theft. The anger over the results of cantonment polls is being vented on the ECP on the order of [PM] Imran," she added.
Marriyum demanded “strict legal action” under Article 10 of the Election Act against the federal ministers who “attacked” the ECP “sitting in PID just because they don't have any answers for the valid questions raised by the commission”.
Inciting the members of the election commission against the CEC is treason and an attack on the constitutional institutions, she said.
The PML-N information secretary observed that the “baseless accusations” by the PTI government reflected its “undemocratic and autocratic mindset”.
“A government that is a product of RTS tampering is slinging mud at the ECP and is completely incapable to understand the legal and constitutional issues raised by the CEC and his members,” she added.
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