PTI demands judicial commission to probe Rawalpindi commissioner’s poll rigging claims

After Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha’s explosive statement regarding alleged rigging in the February 8 nationwide polls, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has demanded the establishment of a judicial commission to probe the allegations.

“Commissioner Chatha’s statement affirmed PTI’s stance,” Gohar said while addressing a press conference along with Omar Ayub Khan in Islamabad on Sunday. “The commissioner raised his voice due to his sense of right and wrong.”

A day earlier, Chatha resigned from his post in protest against electoral irregularities on February 8 under his watch and admitted that “they converted the losers into winners with 50,000 votes margin.”

Stressing that he was under pressure from social media and overseas Pakistanis, the official revealed that he even attempted suicide. “13 National Assembly candidates, who were losing, were made to win by a margin of up to 70,000 votes,” the outgoing commissioner added

Barrister Gohar said that his party is demanding a judicial commission to investigate the claims of ‘rigged election results’ and share the probe report with the nation.

“We are not demanding the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) resignation [….] An inquiry must be held on the commissioner’s allegations,” he added.

The erstwhile PTI chairman also criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), saying that the poll organising authority has not yet announced the final vote results as per the real mandate.

He claimed that his party won 180 National Assembly seats. “We won 42 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 115 in Punjab, 16 in Sindh and 4 in Balochistan. The PTI was deliberately not given a single in Sindh. Form 45 was not given to only the Tehreek-e-Insaf polling agents.”

Gohar also demanded the election commission order returning officers (ROs) to compile Form 47 in accordance with the records of Form 45. The former ruling party also demanded the announcement of election results in accordance with Form 45.

PTI central general secretary Omar Ayub, addressing the same press conference, said that the Imran-founded party was being cornered through illegal tactics like police raids, fake cases and threatening the party leaders and workers.

He expressed hopes that PTI will form its government in the Centre and provinces. Omar urged ECP to issue notification of “180 successful PTI candidates”.

Regarding the party’s strategy for alliances, Omar said that PTI was not making any deal with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).