Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday welcomed the Post-Election Review report published by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), claiming it validates their claims of the May 2013 general elections being rigged. He also threatened to register a complaint against the acting National Database Regulatory Authority (NADRA) under Article 6 for allegedly trying to change results.
Addressing his supporters on the 41st day of ‘Azadi’ protests at D-Chowk in Islamabad, Imran said he stood vindicated as his stance on electoral fraud had now been confirmed by the ECP itself. However, he lamented how the December 9, 2013 report had been kept under wraps for nine months.
The PTI leader congratulated his workers and supporters, claiming that the pressure created by their protests had forced the ECP to make the report public.
“This report is out because of your pressure, Pakistanis,” he said pointing towards his supporters.
PTI leader further claimed the Commission’s report had actually endorsed his view that 2013 elections were a “fraud”.
“Parliamentarians were speaking of Constitution, democracy and everything during the joint session. Why did they forget democracy while rigging?”
Imran said that according to Article 220 of the Constitution, all state institutions would have been under the ECP during polls, but none of them complied.
“The report says that neither NAB nor the FBR helped the ECP,” Imran said while reading from the report. “Even the caretaker government did not support them.”
The PTI chairman added that the report had accepted his view that returning officers (ROs) played a significant role in changing election results.
“I was saying ROs were involved, and now the ECP report has confirmed this. Some were incompetent while others were in cahoots with candidates.”
At this juncture, Imran called on the ECP to make public Form 14, a formulation of results by polling agents.
“They are afraid,” Imran explained the absence of Form 14 from ECP’s website. “They know the difference in declared and actual results will be exposed.”
“Why it is not on the website, it has been 16 months since the elections took place.”
Imran added that the report had also confirmed his claim about ballot papers printed from Urdu Bazaar.
“These ballots were given to N-League such that they could stuff bogus votes and win the elections.”
Polling staff, Imran claimed, had been changed at the last minute at polling stations while many stations were “ghost stations” about which no one knew.
The PTI chief further claimed that electoral lists, as per ECP rules, could not be changed; however, what happened was contrary to that.
“30,000 voters were added in my constituency of Mianwali by the ROs,” Imran claimed.
He repeated his claim about UNDP monitoring systems being “shut soon after ‘victory speech’ of Nawaz Sharif.”
He said the computer operators were forced to flee as teir programme was shut and results were changed.
“Two computer operators were with ROs in each polling station tasked to formulate the results after scanning them,” he said. “Initially they scanned the results but after Nawaz’s speech, the system was shut.”
Imran, while quoting another point from the Election Commission’s report, said the voting bags were not sealed, as per the requirement.
“Bags were such that they could be stuffed with votes,” he said.
Ex-CJP manipulated ROs
The PTI chief claimed that in an alleged letter written by Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari to then President Asif Ali Zardari, the former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was involved in pre-poll rigging.
“ROs instead of working under the ECP took and obeyed orders of Iftikhar Chaudhry.”
Imran mentioned an affidavit submitted by the former chief an intelligence organization in which it was claimed that the former CJP had assured then President Musharraf of victory in elections. This offer was also extended to Pervez Elahi, Imran added.
Trying Nadra chief under Article 6
Calling the interim Nadra Chairman Imtiaz Tajwar Nawaz’s man, Imran said he would try the NADRA official under Article 6 for changing election results and thereby violating the Constitution.
“I will not spare you,” he said, adding “I know what you are doing.”
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