Pakistan poll rigging: High-level committee to probe allegations | Latest updates

Supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan protest against the alleged rigging in Pakistan’s national election results.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has formed a high-level committee to investigate allegations made by a senior bureaucrat regarding extensive rigging involving the judiciary and the top election authorities during polls in Pakistan. Former commissioner of Rawalpindi Liaquat Ali Chattha alleged that the elections were rigged in favour of Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N.

Liaquat Ali Chattha on Saturday said the judiciary and top election officials of Pakistan aided the ‘losing’ candidates to ‘win’ the elections to the national assembly. ‘Accepting responsibility’ for the manipulation of poll results Chattha also resigned from his office. Chattha’s remarks came amid members of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) holding nationwide protests against the alleged rigging of poll mandate.

“I am taking the responsibility for all this wrongdoing and telling you that the chief election commissioner and the chief justice are also completely involved in this,” Dawn quoted Liaquat Ali Chattha as saying.

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However, the Election Commission of Pakistan has rejected the allegations made by Liaquat Ali Chattha. In a press statement, the commission said, “The Election Commission of Pakistan strongly rejects the allegations levelled by the Commissioner Rawalpindi on the chief election commissioner or the election commission and no official of the election commission never issued any instructions regarding changing the election results to the Commissioner Rawalpindi. Neither is the commissioner of any division ever appointed as a DRO, RO or presiding officer, nor do they ever play a direct role in the conduct of elections.”

The newly-appointed Commissioner of Rawalpindi, Saif Anwar Jappa said that Chattha only had a coordinating role as far as polls were concerned.

Reacting to Chattha’s allegations PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the bureaucrat should have approached the Election Commission with evidence if there was any.

Raising allegations of rigging in the polls the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has said that the party’s “win of 180 national assembly seats and a two-thirds majority in Parliament, was cut down to half.”

Besides PTI, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), and others also complained of rigging during the elections.

According to Dawn, the sit-ins persisting in Quetta, Dera Murad Jamali, and other urban areas have now entered their eighth day, attracting hundreds of supporters, including a notable presence of women.

Although the highways connecting to Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been reopened after being closed for more than a week, sections of the Quetta-Chaman and Quetta-Taftan highways are still blocked, resulting in inconvenience for travellers.

Over 90 independent candidates supported by PTI secured victory in the election, becoming the largest bloc in the national assembly. The PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP came third with 54 seats.

Nevertheless, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party forged a coalition after the election and are on track to establish a government with the support of four additional political parties.

(With PTI inputs)

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