Imran rejects Asma Jehangir’s name for caretaker PM

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday reiterated the objections raised by Dr Tahirul Qadri about the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), while expressing “severe reservations” on the candidacy of Asma Jehangir for the office of caretaker prime minister.
In a press conference a day after a government delegation met Dr Qadri to decide matters regarding the Islamabad Declaration, Imran said, “We have complete faith in the Chief Election Commissioner but we are not satisfied with other members of the commission. Therefore, we think it needs to be reconstituted.” Reiterating Dr Qadri’s message to the government team, Imran said, “We have no objection to the appointment of ECP chief Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, but the nomination of the four members is illegal because the committee didn’t hear all the 12 nominees whose names had been sent by the provinces.”
He defended the PTI’s decision to not join Dr Qadri’s long march, as he praised two “positive” outcomes – first, that all political parties will be consulted on the name for caretaker PM; second, that all those suggested would be scrutinised for a month.
Regarding the caretaker prime minister, the PTI chief gave the “essential” criteria, including complete neutrality, impeccable personal integrity, respect for national institutions (particularly the judiciary), a commitment not to fundamentally change the contours of national policy and basic management ability to hold elections and run the government. On grounds of its criteria, Imran said the PTI “disagrees with Asma Jahangir’s nomination” for the caretaker premier. “She has a history of opposing the PTI and has given statements against it. She is closely aligned with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). She has shown continuous disrespect for the judiciary. We therefore do not think that she fits the criteria,” Imran said. He declared her nomination as an “agreed game” between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). “Jahangir’s nomination is tantamount to the fact that the government is not sincere in holding free and fair elections and if government elevates her, PTI would hold the biggest protest in the country’s history over nomination of an impartial person,” Imran stated.
Later, Imran reiterated his demand for President Zardari’s resignation, alleging that he was not fit to hold a fair and free election, a prerequisite for bringing in an elected government with the people’s mandate.
He also presented the “ingredients for free and fair elections”, including an election commission that is not only fair but has the requisite power to ensure that all electoral laws were strictly observed; a caretaker government that is neutral and seen by all to be as such; and a president who is truly a symbol of the state and neutral among all political stakeholders. Elections that are not free and fair can threaten the integrity of the nation, Khan added.