ECP chief sees no reason to step down

As the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ramps up its campaign against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), its chief Sikandar Sultan Raja has vowed to stand his ground for the “better interest of the country”.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja, who was appointed in Jan 2020 by a joint parliamentary panel, said that he had no plans to step down and would continue to work as the head of the election watchdog. He made these comments while talking to a local media outlet last night.

"I am working in the best interest of the country and shall continue to do so," he added.

Raja’s statement comes on the heels of remarks by the chairman of the former ruling PTI, Imran Khan wherein he sought the resignation of the CEC for being "biased" towards his party.

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Imran had reportedly said the PTI would file a reference against Raja for ECP’s failure to conduct early elections because delimitations of constituencies were not conducted on time.

The former premier had also alleged a conspiracy behind the foreign funding case – filed in 2014 by a founding member of the PTI Akbar S Babar – that nears conclusion after the Islamabad High Court ordered the ECP to conduct daily hearings.

This is not the first time PTI has railed against the incumbent CEC. Former minister Fawad Chaudhry had urged the ECP members to defy the commissioner in a press conference in November last year.

He had accused Raja of acting as the mouthpiece of the opposition. Fawad had later apologised for his remarks.