Pakistan

Imran asks ECP to punish officials responsible for 'illegalities' in 2013 polls

PTI chief claims inquiry commission's report is a victory, urges party's supporters to stop criticising the report

Aroosa Shaukat/web Desk July 30, 2015

PTI chairman Imran Khan. PHOTO: REUTERS

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Thursday wrote a letter to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) chief Sardar Raza Khan, asking the commission to take actions against those responsible for failures, breaches, and "illegalities" in elections 2013.

In a detailed letter comprising of six pages, PTI chief cited various sections of the report by the inquiry commission which was presented on July 22. He pointed out that the commission found “serious, systematic and pervasive failures and breaches by the Election Commission of Pakistan.”

Khan wrote in his letter that the inquiry commission had observed that the ECP had ample time to organise the May 2013 general elections, but it did not seem to have any way of knowing how things were progressing on the ground either prior to or during the election day.

“There was no monitoring wing in the ECP. There seemed to be no way for the ECP to know whether or not its directions were being implemented,” Khan wrote.

Read: PTI struggles to craft a response to judicial commission's findings

Imran requested the ECP chief to provide the PTI with a “detailed explanation on the measures that now the ECP proposes, and undertakes to introduce and implement so as to address, rectify, and cure each and every one of the failures, breaches illegalities identified by the Inquiry Commission so that the possibility of reoccurrence of the same is avoided.”

The PTI chief also asked for the disciplinary and legal actions against those guilty of failures in the May 2013 elections.

Read: Judicial commission: Report indicates success of democracy

Imran has asked the commission in his letter to register cases against those who were found ‘negligent’ during the elections keeping in view the Representation of People Act, 1976 (ROPA). The PTI chief also demanded that an inquiry be set up to investigate the ‘disappeared’ ballots paper of the Elections 2013.

Further, the election commission holds exclusive power to register cases against officials found involved in any kind of negligence or helping rigging in the elections.

The letter comes after the judicial commission in its report stated that no evidence of planned rigging was found, but that the elections were not completely flawless.

Earlier on July 24, accepting the judicial commission’s report, Imran Khan had said that his party would chalk out its future strategy after going through the findings.

While talking to journalists in the flood-hit district of Chitral, the PTI chief said he had heard somewhere that the inquiry report had been uploaded to a website, but logically the findings should have been shared with his party. “The PTI will announce its future plan after reading the report,” he said.

Afterwards, Imran had demanded that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should apologise to the nation since the verdict had vindicated PTI’s demand of an inquiry into the May 2013 general elections.

Imran asks party workers to refrain from criticising judiciary

Talking to the media on Thursday evening, the PTI chief urged party supporters to stop crticising the judicial commission's report since he has accepted, adding that the report was their victory, not defeat.

“This is our victory because never in (the history of) Pakistan such an investigation had taken,” Imran said. “I witnessed myself the proceedings of the commission and saw that it was carried out well.”

“We can only move ahead if an inquiry is conducted against people who were responsible for the mismanagement in the 2013 elections,” he added.

The PTI chief stressed that this commission would not have been formed if his party, along with the people, had not taken to the roads. “We would be clueless what kind of rigging took place in elections if this commission report was not presented,” Khan said.

If unseated, will return to NA through elections

Imran Khan has said that the party will contest by-elections on each and every seat they are unseated from should two motions in the National Assembly against the absence of its lawmakers from parliament is accepted.

Commenting on the motions filed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazal group (JUI-F), the PTI chief said the party did not need anyone’s support, pointing out that the party had secured its seats after taking part in the elections.

He said if the motions are accepted, the party’s lawmakers would make a return to the parliament after contesting by-elections.

Why isn’t the government probing dharna’s funding sources?

Responding to criticism on the source of funding for his 126-day protests in Islamabad last year, Imran said that the government should set up a commission to probe that as well.

“Why isn’t the government conducting an inquiry if I am involved in a conspiracy?” he argued, adding that if allegations are proven, he would quit politics.

He further urged the government to refrain from bad mouthing the army. But Imran suggested that the Mehran-gate case, where the military allegedly doled out sums to political parties, should move ahead.

PTI wants tax reforms

Announcing the party’s support to traders’ against the imposition of withholding tax, Imran called for tax reforms.

He demanded that political leaders declare their assets and accounts to the public.

The party is scheduled to hold a meeting on Sunday to discuss its future strategy in the wake of finalizing of the party’s constitution. The party chief announced that intra-party elections would also be held soon.