ECP tells PTI it has no right to seek explanations

Imran dismisses ECP’s response, to raise the matter in parliament

ISLAMABAD:

The country’s top polls supervisory body has expressed its dismay over the ‘tone and tenor’ of the July 30 letter of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in which the party had demanded action against officials ‘involved in irregularities’ during the May 2013 parliamentary elections.

“A political party has every right to write to the Election Commission of Pakistan but it has no right to seek explanation or dictate its terms, which is tantamount to impeding the independence of the ECP as enshrined in the Constitution,” said the ECP in its three-point response to the PTI letter.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan, in his letter, had sought an explanation on his proposals to address and rectify the failures and breaches in the conduct of the 2013 elections in view of the findings of the three-judge Judicial Inquiry Commission that probed alleged systematic rigging in the polls.

Read: PTI mulls filing reference against ECP members

He had asked the ECP to prosecute all concerned officials for breach of official duties during the polls. The PTI chief on August 22 threatened a movement against the commission if it did not respond to his letter within three weeks.

ECP’s reply shared with Imran by its Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad stated that a meeting of the ECP was held on Monday in the chamber of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (retd) Sardar Raza Khan to discuss Imran’s letter.



“At the very outset the commission expressed its dismay over the tone and tenor of correspondence with a constitutional entity like the ECP. It was noticed that seeking an explanation from the commission is the sole obligation of a superior authority – a prerogative the PTI cannot claim to enjoy,” it said.

With reference to the Judicial Inquiry Commission report, the ECP said it has reiterated its constitutional duty to overcome any shortages of resources and challenges of capacity. “In this regard, parliament privileged to legislate on electoral reforms has already been briefed on the future course the ECP has set for itself,” it said.

Imran Khan’s response

Reacting to the ECP reply, Imran repeated his demand for the removal of the commission’s provincial members and announced that his party would raise the matter in parliament and exhaust all legal options before launching street agitation against the poll body.

Addressing a news conference, Imran called the ECP reply a ‘joke’ with the nation and said his party had secured around eight million votes in the 2013 elections and had the right to question the polls body. “I’ve asked Shah Mehmood Qureshi to contact all political parties, since they all have alleged rigging in the 2013 elections, for the removal of the ECP members,” he added.

Read: 'PTI has no authority to dictate terms, seek explanation from ECP'

The PTI chairman said his party would also approach the Supreme Judicial Council against the ECP members. “Unless those responsible for irregularities in the elections, which we consider as rigging, are punished, new laws will not serve any purpose,” he said.

Imran said he had sent the letter based on Judicial Inquiry Commission’s findings. He added that the ECP’s approach that being a constitutional body it could not be held accountable was flawed. Responding to a question, Imran said his party would contest every election, including the by-election at NA-122 and the upcoming local government polls in Sindh and Punjab, despite lack of trust in the ECP.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2015.