ECP snubs Punjab by-polls rigging claim
Rubbishing allegations of its involvement in rigging the Punjab by-polls, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday maintained that the elections would be held in a transparent manner and in accordance with law.
A day earlier, while addressing participants of the PTI’s farmers' convention in Islamabad, party chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan had claimed that the chief election commissioner [CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja] was taking orders from Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, and his cousin and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz. "Both of the leaders want to rig elections with the help of the election commission," he had added.
In a statement, the ECP termed the claim as “baseless, untrue and irresponsible”.
The commission added that it had made appropriate arrangements for the transparency of the Punjab by-elections.
It stated that action would be taken for filing a complaint over the transparency of the by-elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
“The impression of deliberately shifting voters to remote areas is wrong,” it claimed, adding that the Punjab by-elections were being held on old lists and constituencies.
The commission said it expected political parties to refrain from hurling such allegations in the future.
Separately, ex-PM Imran met his former aide Babar Awan in Islamabad and warned the ECP to refrain from becoming a wing of a political party, apparently referring to the PML-N.
Legal, constitutional and political issues were discussed during the meeting. Imran reiterated that the country's “largest democratic party” did not trust the ECP.
Imran assigned the task of legal matters related to ECP to his former aide.
Read PTI case about prohibited funding, ECP tells IHC
The tension between the ECP and ex-PM Imran has been under way for quite some time now.
The PTI has accused the CEC and the election commission of bias, with Imran repeatedly calling on him to resign. Last month, the party had announced its plans to file a reference against the CEC.
Taking notice of allegations levelled against it by Imran, the ECP had asked the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) for the record of his address during a workers’ convention in Peshawar on April 26.
The PTI chairman had demanded the resignation of the CEC for allegedly siding with the PML-N against his party.
The former premier had claimed that the CEC had “lost all his credibility” and when the country’s “largest political party” had lost confidence in him, he should step down.
On May 3 during an interview with a private TV channel, the PTI chairman had again accused the CEC of being biased, saying that the Supreme Court should take action against ‘horse-trading’.
In response, the CEC had said the ECP would continue to work in an impartial manner and not compromise on its rulings even if they ruffled some feathers.
“The ECP is always ready for elections and it will continue to make decisions without fear,” he had told reporters in an informal chat in Islamabad earlier this month.
Responding to the allegations of being biased, the CEC had said: "Everyone is our friend.”