- PTI chief accuses former CJP Chaudhry, Justice (r) Ramday, Justice (r) Kayani, Najam Sethi, Punjab election commissioner Anwar Mehboob among others
- Says martial law is not a solution to country’s problems
- Says PTI’s agenda is different from Qadri’s; invites all parties to join ‘Azadi Marzh’ for free and fair elections
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Monday accused former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, former SC Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, Punjab former caretaker chief minister Najam Sethi, Justice (r) Riaz Kayani and Punjab Election Commissioner Anwar Mehboob among others of orchestrating rigging in last year’s general elections.
Addressing a press conference on his much-touted revelation of poll riggers, Imran Khan said that PTI’s reason to hold ‘Azadi March’ is to bring to book those involved in the rigging process as the only way forward for the country is free and fair elections.
KHAN’S ALLEGATIONS AND REBUTTALS:
Khan alleged the chief justice had hosted a dinner for returning officers to persuade them to support Nawaz Sharif. He also claimed that key state officials were retained to carry out the electoral fraud, and that the head of the Election Commission had ordered millions of extra ballot papers to be printed and distributed in 28 key constituencies.
“When only 15 per cent of the results were in, Justice Ramday asked Nawaz to give his victory speech fearing that the returning officers might get scared of the mass rigging they were carrying out and might stop,” he said.
Khan said Justice (r) Ramday has been rewarded for his role and his son Mustafa Ramday was appointed advocate general in Punjab while his other son, Asad Ramday was ‘elected’ member of National Assembly from a Toba Tek Singh seat. He further claimed that Ramday’s niece was ‘elected’ on a reserved seat.
Referring to former CJP Chaudhry as the opening batsman for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Khan said that Senator Hasil Bizenjo had admitted that the former CJP had asked that his son Arsalan Iftikhar be appointed as Balochistan Board of Investment vice chairman. Khan further claimed that the former CJP had been giving political statements in favour of the PML-N.
Referring to Sethi, Khan said he had been rewarded for the ’35 punctures’ and his tax had been waived.
Khan alleged that Justice (r) Riaz Kayani, a lawyer of Ittefaq Foundry, was made commissioner of the ECP so that he could play a role in manipulating the PML-N’s victory.
The PTI chief said Punjab Election Commissioner Anwar Mehboob had been transferred from Sindh in violation of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rules. He said that Mehboob had got thousands of new ballot papers printed on orders from the top.
“Millions of ballot papers were printed for 28 National Assembly seats in five divisions of Punjab, namely Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Multan and Faisalabad,” Khan claimed, adding that the additional ballot papers were printed by outsourcing them and a local printer in Lahore, identified as Shaukat Noor had admitted that he had printed the extra ballot papers.
Khan said Mehboob and current ECP Secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed have been given extensions as a reward for their “services”.
Khan said Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Tariq Bajwa and Interior Secretary Shahid Khan were also being rewarded for their involvement in poll rigging.
DROs and ROs started doing their work after PTI’s March 23 rally in Lahore and changed polling schemes, Khan alleged, adding that he knew a person who had witnessed ballots being stamped at the house of PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafiq.
“I only asked for rechecking in four constituencies because I knew what had happened; that’s why we did not ask for more seats,” he said.
Now vote correction is being done in the COMSATs basement, Imran claimed, adding that NADRA chief Tariq Malik was sacked by the government to deter those who dare to stand up against the Sharif monarchy.
KHAN INVITES ALL TO AZADI MARCH:
Requesting Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri to ensure that the ‘Inqilab March’ is peaceful, Khan appealed to the Punjab Police and bureaucracy to save the country, urging the police not to work as personal servants of Sharif family.
Khan said history gives the example that a better democracy brings more progress.
He said he would try to convince Qadri to PTI’s agenda and tell him that revolution can only come through free and fair elections.
He appealed to Qadri, all political parties and even PML-N members to join PTI ‘Azadi March’, stressing that his party will remain non-violent during the march.