Cabinet Division on Saturday repudiated Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) request to constitute a parliamentary committee on the failure of Result Transmission System (RTS) during the July 25 general elections, a private media outlet reported.
According to reports, the division recommended ECP to directly pen a letter to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in this regard. In its reply, it further stated that the cabinet division did not have the power to constitute any such committee.
On the other hand, officials at ECP asserted that the Cabinet Division was bound to implement the electoral body’s orders under Constitution’s Article 220. They further asserted the Cabinet Division should not have sought recommendations of the law ministry.
The proposed committee is supposed to ascertain the causes behind RTS failure and those responsible for it in four weeks.
It merits mention that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senator Azam Swati on Friday had demanded a forensic audit of the issue while stating the failure of the system has cast doubts on the transparency of the matter.
Addressing a press conference along with Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry in the federal capital, Swati had reiterated his demand that a transparent probe was not possible in the presence of the incumbent Nadra chairman.
“We are not here to give clarification for the Election Commission of Pakistan’s personnel nor to target NADRA,” he said. “Nadra chairman and his subordinates should relinquish office to facilitate the forensic audit.”
The PTI leader had said that the ECP and NADRA’s statements were contrary to each other, adding that the ECP should prove that the polls were free and fair.