Federal Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar on Sunday said backing out of a written Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) signed with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on the polls inquiry, does not suit PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
Both the parties while constituting the General Election-2013 Inquiry Commission (GEIC) had agreed that in case the GEIC determined that the election results did not reflect the true mandate of the people, the national and provincial assemblies would be dissolved and fresh general election would be held. Otherwise, all the PTI’s allegations over the veracity of the election would stand withdrawn.
Talking to a news channel, the minister said Imran Khan’s comments after the report of GEIC were ‘disappointing’.
He said accepting the GEIC report was binding on both the PTI and PML-N, adding that it was unfair to accept and raise objections simultaneously. Dar said that the PTI chairman would have to mend his ways as he was the leader of a political party, adding that Imran did not stand by the agreement.
He said Imran was asking to put the condition of 30 days for the commission to submit its report, but it was the PML-N that convinced the PTI chairman for a 45-day timeframe. The minister said now Imran Khan was criticizing the commission that it disappointed him by not prolonging the timeframe.
The government, he said, had constituted a Parliamentary Electoral Reforms Committee last year to bring improvement in the existing election system, which has so far held 35 meetings.
To a question, Ishaq Dar said efforts would be made to remove complaints about the Election Commission of Pakistan, as improving the existing election system was part of the PML’s manifesto.
