Expressing strong reservations over the performance of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) have demanded that the commission be reformed to ensure free and fair elections. Top leaders of the PTI met PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri in Lahore on Wednesday to discuss their reservations over the current ECP. Talking to reporters, PTI President Javed Hashmi said that his party was not satisfied with the present ECP and the suggested caretaker setup. Hashmi said that only the reservations had been discussed during the meeting, but his party was yet to decide on whether it wanted to file a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) with Qadri or not, adding that his party would support everyone working to change the destiny of the people.
PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that free and fair elections were the only way to bring change in the country, adding that without an autonomous ECP, transparent elections could not be held. He said the government was claiming that it could not dissolve the ECP under Article 209, but that its argument was invalid. “We will raise the question of composition and constitution of the ECP,” he said, adding that he had not given any comments against Qadri since peaceful protests were part of democracy. Speaking on the occasion, Qadri said the parliament had failed to deliver and resolve the problems of the people and stressed the need for ensuring a complete neutral caretaker setup to ensure free and fair election. He said that after a long time, two institutions in the country – the judiciary and the army – were working in favour of democracy.
