ISLAMABAD: Following another setback in the form of losing the NA-81 seat to the PML-N, the PTI made accusations against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, alleging that he was coerced into gifting 20 seats to the ruling alliance.
The day before, the ECP had announced Khan Bahadar of the PML-N as the victorious candidate from constituency PP-100, despite the initial declaration of PTI candidate Chaudhry Umair Wasi Zafar winning with a lead of around four thousand votes.
In a statement, PTI senior leader Omar Ayub Khan claimed, “The CEC failed to ensure fair and transparent elections,” demanding his immediate resignation over this failure. He further alleged, “Ballot papers were reportedly sold for Rs80 to 90 million.”
According to the PTI, in exchange for his “services,” the ruling alliance is planning to appoint the CEC as Pakistan’s ambassador to Canada.
However, the CEC has dismissed these allegations as “baseless.”
Omar accused, “Those in power are benefiting from irregularities in Form 47s.”
The PTI asserted that their mandate was manipulated in the February 8 general elections, with results altered in Form 47s. They claimed to have won 180 NA seats based on the statistics of Form 45s.
It’s worth noting that Form 45 records the votes cast in a polling station, while Form 47 consolidates the votes from all polling stations of a constituency, providing a provisional result.
Omar also condemned the government’s two-week ban on meetings with Imran Khan in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, labeling it a “drama” and demanding access to the PTI founder.
The spokesperson of the ECP refuted reports of CEC Raja being appointed as an ambassador, stating, “Neither the government has made any such offer nor does the CEC have any intention.” The spokesperson affirmed that the CEC would remain in the country after completing his term.
In earlier developments, the PTI core committee meeting condemned the detention of its founder, asserting that the intention to target Imran Khan has been exposed. They criticized the delays in handling petitions challenging Khan’s convictions in various cases.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
