- PTI chairman demands ECP members resign before Oct 4, says will announce future strategy later
- Jehangir Tareen to fight polls from NA-154, Aleem Khan to face Ayaz Sadiq in NA-122
- Khan says PTI will install CCTVs in all polling stations, train polling staff to thwart rigging
- Says JC report on poll rigging would have been different if ETs’ decisions were not delayed
Blowing the war trumpet against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday announced that his party would hold a sit-in protest in front of the ECP Headquarters in Islamabad if its members do not tender their resignations by October 4.
Addressing a gathering of party supporters after chairing a meeting at the PTI’s recently-inaugurated secretariat in Lahore, Imran Khan said there was no justification for the ECP members to hold their posts after 21 political parties had claimed that rigging had taken place during the 2013 elections.
“We will stage a sit-in on October 4 in front of the ECP’s office in Islamabad if the current members do not resign from their posts,” said Khan, adding that “we do not have any faith in the current members and officials of the ECP as they are PML-N’s B team.”
Khan said his party would contest all by-polls and local bodies elections, but not under the existing ECP set up. The party will announce its future strategy if the ECP members refuse to submit their resignations, he added.
The high-level party meeting was held in Lahore to decide the future policies regarding the upcoming by-polls in the constituencies where elections tribunals have ruled in favour of PTI.
Khan said his party would not allow anybody to do rig the upcoming polls.
“We will install cameras at every polling station and will not allow anybody to cast fake votes,” he said, adding that the party will train its polling staff to ensure a free and fair election. “PTI has learnt from its experience in the 2013 general election,” he added.
He announced that Jehangir Tareen would contest the by-poll from NA-154 Lodhran while Aleem Khan would compete from NA-122, the constituency where Imran Khan contested against Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the 2013 general elections. Shoaib Siddiqi will contest election from PP-147 which falls under NA-122, said Khan.
“We contested the elections in 2013 because for the first time in Pakistan there was an independent judiciary,” he said, adding that his political party would not have taken to the streets if their earlier demand of opening four constituencies had been entertained by then chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
“After the judiciary under Iftikhar Chaudhry refused to open the four constituencies, it became clear to us that everyone was involved in the rigging,” Khan said.
Earlier, Khan had said the poll inquiry commission’s verdict on general elections would have been different provided the election tribunals gave their ruling first.
“The judicial commission investigated the elections as a whole while elections tribunals have counted each and every ballot,” Khan said while talking to reporters outside Bani Gala in Islamabad before leaving for a party meeting in Lahore.
“Decisions by the tribunals were delayed deliberately.”
The commission in its 237-page report had said despite some lapses on part of the ECP “the 2013 general elections were in large part organised and conducted fairly and in accordance with the law.”
Accusing the ECP of colluding with the PML-N in poll rigging, the PTI chief said the party would decide if they would contest the upcoming by-polls and local government elections under the same ‘umpires’.
Regarding the cancellation of party rally, Imran said there were security threats and he could not put his workers’ life in danger.
He was scheduled to arrive in Lahore on Saturday to host rallies marking the party’s recent victory as the election tribunal announced re-polling in NA-122 and NA-154. However, Lahore administration failed to give the party security clearance.
The PTI chief once again challenged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to contest against him in NA-122.
“I am inviting you. Have a match with me. You can bring your own umpires just like you used to [during our cricket matches] in Lahore Gymkhana,” said Khan.
