Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has petitioned the Supreme Court, seeking the formation of a judicial commission to investigate allegations of electoral irregularities in the February 8 general elections. The politician, currently incarcerated, filed the petition in response to claims of manipulation and fraud in the election results, urging the court to examine the conduct of the polls and subsequent developments.
Senior lawyer Hamid Khan, representing Imran Khan, submitted the plea, requesting the appointment of a judicial commission comprising impartial Supreme Court judges to scrutinize the electoral process and address concerns regarding false and fraudulent results. The petition calls for the suspension of all government formations at the federal and provincial levels until the commission completes its investigation.
The respondents named in the petition include the government, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Mutahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P). Imran Khan alleges that the general elections were marred by widespread rigging and manipulation, undermining the trust of the electorate and violating constitutional mandates.
The petition highlights the ECP’s constitutional obligation to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections, accusing the electoral authority of failing to uphold its duties. It alleges that returning officers appointed by the ECP facilitated rigging, with even caretaker governments implicated in the electoral fraud.
Since the conclusion of the elections, multiple political parties and independent candidates have contested the transparency of the polling process, staging protests and rallies to denounce what they perceive as rigged and manipulated outcomes orchestrated by caretaker administrations and the electoral body.
Imran Khan’s plea underscores the need for accountability and transparency in the electoral process, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the democratic principles enshrined in the constitution. As the legal proceedings unfold, the outcome of the petition could have significant implications for Pakistan’s political landscape and democratic governance.
