ECP rebuffs rigging charges levelled by PTI

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), under the new chief election commissioner (CEC) and secretary, has rebuffed all the rigging charges levelled by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and has reiterated its oft-repeated stand that the 2013 general polls were fair, free and transparent.
The ECP’s comprehensive reply filed in the judicial commission, which is assigned to inquire into the accusations of deliberate systematic manipulation in the previous elections, is an eye-opener for the PTI and other political parties that vigorously claim that the polls were manipulated. During the hearing, Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk asked the PTI lawyer whether he has read the ECP response. The advocate replied in the affirmative.
Meanwhile, an application filed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan with the commission attempted to take the proceedings to a different zone — scrutiny of the election record of all the National Assembly constituencies. Instead of proving his own and his party’s rigging charges with solid evidence, he wanted the forum to order inspection of election material of all national constituencies to ascertain the completeness and correctness of record; destruction of any of the prescribed documents, especially if it indicates a pattern and the impact of the destroyed documents. He believed that it will appear from such inspection that either the election was all in order barring minor discrepancies here and there, or, a pattern emerges showing concerted destruction of material record; and that pattern indicates a ‘design’ and a consistent signature of an attempt to rig the entire elections. The commission’s decision on his plea is awaited.
The ECP took the stand that on an overall basis, the election results of both the national and provincial assemblies were “a true and fair reflection” of the mandate given by the electorate. However, it said that there might have been irregularities and malpractices in individual constituencies and petitions and appeals on these had already been pending either before the election tribunals or the Supreme Court.
The ECP rejected the allegations that numerous unauthorised and unlawful changes were made in the final polling scheme for constituencies and that the polls were systematically manipulated or influenced by design; results management system (RMS software with computers was provided to 425 returning officers (ROs) but some of them failed to use it because of loadshedding and slow internet connectivity as well as poor training of district election officers at some locations and, therefore, the consolidation of results was delayed at some places; the less use of RMS had not resulted in adverse consequences for Form XIV which had to be manually prepared and signed by polling officers; the ROs were obliged to announce the results as per conventional method of compilation of results by using Forms XVI and XVII and not through the RMS; the process of procurement of papers for printing of ballot papers was an exclusive responsibility of the Printing Corporation of Pakistan and the Pakistan Security Printing Corporation; all extra and unused ballot papers were duly accounted for and were available for verification and the issue of unused ballot papers in several constituencies identified by the submissions made by the PTI before the commission had been raised with the election tribunal and the matter was sub judice, etc.
In its third hearing, the Judicial Commission on Thursday did not get any fresh credible evidence and proof of poll rigging. The fundamental question that is yet to be answered by the PTI is precisely what the chief justice put to its lawyer asking him to provide the commission with the details as to who designed the electoral fraud plan, and how it was followed through and implemented, and the answers should be submitted along with proof.
What the judicial forum has so far received are general statements, claiming that the hanky-panky took place in the previous polls, from all the political parties that have become active part of the proceedings. From the day one, the main onus of establishing election foul play was on the PTI shoulders, but it has been unable to come out with any new documents in support of its assertions, which have been publicly repeated over the past two years.
The commission has given the deadline of April 25 to all political parties to submit the proofs of rigging. This will complete the preliminary prerequisite to be followed by regular proceedings from Monday. Then, the forum will start reviewing the ‘evidence’ and hearing the lawyers representing different parties.
Senior PTI leader Ishaq Khakwani recently claimed in a TV programme that he has truckloads of evidence regarding rigging, which was parked in two rooms of his house. But no bundles of proof have so far reached the commission. No trucks loaded with evidence were seen in the Supreme Court.
However, as the proceedings go ahead with the judges urging the PTI and other parties to produce evidence of rigging, these contestants will come under growing pressure to establish their claims that they had been making since long.
It appears by now and all these parties are solely relying on what they presented as proof of rigging for endless times after the elections. A member of the commission remarked about what the PTI has submitted that it was just an elaboration of what it had already given to the forum.
In the last hearing, the PTI had filed a 46-page ‘preliminary submissions and proposals’, mainly falling back on the complaints of political parties about rigging, newspapers reports and TV talk shows, ‘controversial’ polling scheme, alleged printing of additional ballot papers, etc. All these were old claims, repeated for a number of times and repudiated by those who were charged in this process. There was nothing new.
In an attempt to present the allegation of poll rigging as ‘plausible’ and ‘convincing’, obviously for political motives, some contestants have depended more on the number of political parties, which have approached the commission complaining manipulation, than the reliable evidence they have produced before the forum.
There are at least 21 political parties, which have jumped in to dispute the 2013 elections before the commission. But the primary responsibility to establish that there was massive organized rigging rests with the PTI on whose insistence the commission was formed.
The commission has a specific scope of inquiry. It will inquire into and determine whether or not the elections were organised and conducted impartially, honestly, fairly, justly and in accordance with law; whether or not the polls were manipulated or influenced pursuant to a systematic effort by design by anyone; and whether or not their results on an overall basis are a true and fair reflection of the mandate given by the electorate. The forum will answer these questions in its report.
The political parties, which have alleged rigging, are tasting the striking difference between hurling accusations publicly, without being challenged, asserting that their claims were gospel truth and proving them before the commission with evidence.