Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rejected on Sunday the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to appoint the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) nominee Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab and announced to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.
Rejecting the ECP decision, PTI Chairman Imran Khan termed Naqvi a “sworn enemy” of his party. He alleged that the polls supervisor had helped reduce Pakistan to a “banana republic” and made democracy a joke in the country.
“PMLN has history of selecting their own umpires but it's incredible how ECP has selected a sworn enemy of PTI as caretaker CM Punjab – a post meant for a non-partisan person. Naqvi also made a voluntary return deal with NAB [National Accountability Bureau],” Imran said in a tweet.
PMLN has history of selecting their own umpires but it's incredible how ECP has selected a sworn enemy of PTI as Caretaker CM Punjab - a post meant for a non partisan person. Naqvi also made a voluntary return deal with NAB. SC in suo moto case no 17/2016 declared that in a case pic.twitter.com/nrCCM7igzB
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 22, 2023
“SC [Supreme Court] in suo moto case no 17/2016 declared that in a case of voluntary return a person cannot hold any public office at federal or provincial level nor in any state organisation. The ECP has helped reduce Pak to a Banana Republic making our democracy a joke,” he added.
The PTI chairman announced that he would hold a press conference on the matter on Monday (today). “I will be holding a presser tomorrow to expose this entire farce,” he wrote on his Twitter handle.
Earlier, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry took a jibe at the polls supervisor, saying that the ECP had never disappointed the people of Pakistan while acting as “a subsidiary” of the PML-N and the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP).
It has been said from day one that Moshin Naqvi is being appointed as caretaker chief minister of Punjab and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and his associates made that decision accordingly, Chaudhry alleged.
“Naqvi has been tasked with either stopping the polls in Punjab or rig in a way that stops the PTI from coming into power,” he said, adding that public trust in state institutions had been diminished. “Now the people have to take to the streets for a decisive movement under the leadership of Imran Khan.”
Chaudhry underlined that people of Pakistan would foil all the conspiracies being hatched behind closed doors and make their decision on their own. “Either it is Mohsin Naqvi or others imposed on the country have no value; they are merely puppets who will be wiped out when people of Pakistan will come out,” he maintained.
Soon after the ECP decision, former Punjab chief minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) senior leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi questioned: “How can you expect justice and fair play from the person who is involved in Rs3.5 million plea-bargain.” He termed the ECP’s decision controversial and contrary to the rules and regulations and also announced to move the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) against it.
Read more: ECP appoints media mogul Mohsin Naqvi as Punjab caretaker CM
PTI Senator Shibli Faraz tweeted: “Mohsin Naqvi’s selection as caretaker would mean taking care of an agenda to ‘manage’ Punjab elections. A man who has negotiated “voluntary return of criminal proceeds” with NAB, proves criminals appointing criminals for a criminal activity.”
Meanwhile, PTI senior leader Shafqat Mahmood said: “What a mockery the ECP appointing Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker CM; the one man considered most unsuitable for this position. This amounts to virtually handing over power to N and PPP to conduct elections in Punjab. So much for free and fair elections.”
PTI senior leader Shireen Mazari said, “Election commission never disappoints viz its partisan approach. Selects Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker CM Punjab, seen here on a recent Emirates flight to Dubai with General (retd) Bajwa. Assume his credentials below carried by a dark cloud seem to have impressed the ECP!”
Meanwhile, PTI Parliamentary Committee, comprising of Mian Aslam Iqbal, Raja Basharat and Hashim Jawan Bakht, also rejected the ECP decision and termed Mohsin Naqvi as unsuitable person for the post of caretaker chief minister of Punjab.
They said the commission laid the foundation of political instability in the province by appointing “a controversial and incapable person” for the post of caretaker chief minister. “The People of Punjab will never accept this highly controversial decision of the ECP. The PTI will approach the SCP and people of Punjab against this controversial decision,” the added in a statement.
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