JC likely to submit its report to govt before Eidul Fitr

ISLAMABAD: The dangerous political row over the genuineness of the 2013 general elections, kicked off with ferocity last year, will be set at rest as the three-judge commission, assigned inquiry into charges of deliberate systematic manipulation in the electoral exercise, prepares its report after concluding its proceedings on Friday.
The controversy will be laid to rest once and for all because every political party particularly the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has been leading the rigging mantra, represented in the commission, has reposed full confidence in the panel and this trust continues till its concluding proceedings.
Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, who heads the panel, is apparently determined to wrap up the hearings by the end of the current week, and urged the lawyers to finish their arguments in the couple of days. In fact, he wished to complete the assignment within the original timeframe of 45 days but could not as the proceedings prolonged. The commission feels that the due process has been fully followed and every party is satisfied with the time given to it.
It is not known and it can’t be as to how many days the commission will take to pen down its findings. However, it is believed that its report may be authored and handed over to the federal government in a couple of weeks, maybe before the Eidul Fitr.
While the performance of the PTI in presenting concrete and credible evidence and proofs to back up its rigging claims before the commission to satisfy the judges is before everybody and leaves much to be desired, Imran Khan reiterated his allegations, which he has earlier repeated countless times, after the forum ended its proceedings on Wednesday.
With his usual confidence, he restated that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Returning Officers (ROs) helped the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) win the elections in Punjab through an organised scheme. Ironically, at one point during earlier hearings the PTI lawyer had refused to summon the ROs for cross-examination, but later called some of them for deposition out of which he had got nothing to support his case. The PTI thus remained confused about the ROs’ role that it has been claiming outside of the commission that they played in the elections.
There has hardly been any day when the commission had met and Imran Khan had not held a presser on conclusion of its proceedings. Even two days before it will close its hearings, he kept up the tradition. He thus constantly tried to exert pressure on the commission as per his oft-repeated declaration that he always ‘fights till the last ball’.
The PTI chief mostly narrated the arguments given by Abdul Hafeez Pirzada and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) representative Aitzaz Ahsan before the panel. He also focused on production of additional ballot papers, which, he said, was a ‘political decision’ rather than that of the ECP. However, during previous proceedings nothing extraordinary was established about the misuse of extra ballot papers.
PML-N young leaders Danyal Aziz and Talal Chaudhry have been assigned the duty by their party to not regularly attend the hearings of the commission but respond to the Imran Khan’s remarks in the same vein. They restated that once again the PTI failed to present any proof of rigging before the commission.
The judicial forum will prepare its report as per the three terms of reference spelt out in the presidential ordinance, which was specifically promulgated to create the commission. According to it, the commission 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. After the initial hearings, the commission had issued a questionnaire to all the parties to the proceedings to expressly answer it.
The questionnaire read: Do you allege that the 2013 elections were not organized and conducted impartially, honestly, fairly and justly in accordance with the law? If so, specify why? Please indicate the material and witnesses that you will rely on in order to support your allegation.
Do you allege that the elections were manipulated or influenced pursuant to a systematic effort by design by anyone? If so please provide the following details: (I) who made the plan/design? (II) What was the plan/design? (III) Who implemented the plan/design? (IV) How was the plan/design implemented? While tackling all these questions, they were required to provide material and produce witnesses that they will rely in support of their allegation. Does the “systematic effort” as mentioned in S.3 (b) of the presidential ordinance include just National Assembly seats or Provincial Assembly (PA) seats as well? If National Assembly only, does it include all 4 provinces or just confined to certain provinces.