Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Secretary General Latif Khosa has said the transfers of the Okara DPO and SP Investigation as well as the Depalpur DSP after the announcement of the by-election schedule by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was an attempt by the Punjab government to revisit the illicit practices of May 2013.
He urged upon the ECP to take notice of the transfers and revert the officers to their previous position, because new incumbents were obviously hand-picked by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to fiddle with the election results.
Khosa also pointed out the misconduct of the Punjab government in written to the ECP with the request that immediate action should be taken to revoke the transfers in the interest of the election.
He underscored that such postings and transfers after the announcement of the election schedule by the commission were tantamount to pre-poll rigging because they were carried out to fail the very purpose of undertaking the constitutional obligation by the commission to conduct elections in fair, free and transparent manners by providing level playing field to all candidates.
He added that the PML-N government in Punjab, sensing its defeat in PP-193, had resorted to unfair means to ensure the victory of its candidate.
Khosa said inaction on the part of the ECP in this regard would result in more despondency throughout the country that would not augur well for democracy.
He deplored the non-serious attitude of the Sharif brothers, who were abroad at a time when India had resorted to war-mongering and the Indian foreign secretary had warned of dire consequences if Pakistan did not stop alleged cross-border terrorism.
Khosa said the rulers should also be in Pakistan when terrorists were on a killing spree across the country.
