- Says PTI’s rigging allegations are baseless, NADRA doesn’t have authority to transfer votes
- Says PM has recorded statement in Ashghar Khan case; announces troop deployment for Muharram
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s allegations of pre-poll rigging in the recently held by-polls in NA-122, Lahore.
Addressing a press conference, Nisar said that allegations against National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) for transferring votes in and out of the NA-122 constituency were without any basis. He said he had rigorously investigated the allegations but had not found anything substantial.
The interior minister advised PTI chief Imran Khan to stay away from politics of confrontation adding that it was not in favour of Pakistan.
“NADRA does not have the authority to shift anyone’s vote from one constituency to another,” Nisar said, adding that it was only the jurisdiction of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to do so.
“Even the ECP can only do so once a request is filed by the voter,” he said.
Nisar read out figures of transfer of votes from five constituencies of Punjab, claiming the PTI leadership once again hurled baseless allegations without any prior investigation.
“NADRA automatically sends information to the ECP of all voters who attain the age of 18 years,” he said.
Nisar said that the government had accepted all demands of PTI leadership including constitution of a judicial commission to probe 2013 polls and installing cameras in polling stations among others.
“There should be a limit to Imran’s demands. I hope the PTI leadership will first investigate before hurling allegations,” he said, adding that the party should learn to accept its defeat.
The PTI leadership had earlier accused PML-N and ECP of colluding to rig the NA-122 by-election after PML-N candidate won a slim victory over the PTI candidate.
PM’S FIA STATEMENT:
Nisar told media during the press conference that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had recorded his statement with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the Asghar Khan case.
He said that there was no other example of transparency and rule of law that a sitting prime minister on his own had recorded his statement.
The minister said that the statements of others were also being recorded. However, the FIA was facing trouble in recording statements of some retired army men, he said. The minister added that developments in the case were expected soon.
Air Marshal (r) Asghar Khan, the petitioner in the case, had alleged that the country’s premier intelligence agency, ISI, had distributed Rs140 million among politicians in the 1990 elections to form Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) and prevent Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Benazir Bhutto from winning the polls.
10,000 TROOPS TO BE DEPLOYED IN MUHARRAM:
Nisar also announced that 10,000 troops and 6,000 paramilitary officials would be deployed to prevent sectarian violence during Moharram.
“We have adopted a pro-active strategy like previous years and some 10,000 personnel from the army and another 6,300 from civil armed forces, including Rangers and Frontier Corps, will be deployed across Pakistan for security during the month of Moharram,” Nisar told media.
