MQM asks CEC to disqualify Imran Khan

Karachi
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has written a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to seek the removal of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan from the National Assembly under Article 62 of the constitution.
A day before on Thursday, the three-member judicial commission released its final report and rejected PTI’s claims that the 2013 general elections were rigged and stated that the electoral process, on the whole, was fair and in accordance with the law.
In lieu of the report, a member of the MQM’s coordination committee, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, while addressing a press conference at the Khursheed Begum Memorial Hall on Friday, announced that the party had written to the CEC to ask him to de-seat Imran Khan since he had wasted precious capital and resources of the nation. Khan should be ousted from the National Assembly for lying to the people, he said.
“The entire nation has a right to ask Khan on whose dictation did he hold a sit-in in front of the Parliament House for more than three months, wasting time, energy and assets of the people?” he said. “The PTI chief must clarify his position and apologise to the people for misleading them.”
Siddiqui said time had come that all political parties and democratic forces became united and held Khan accountable for demeaning the whole exercise of general election and creating anarchy and confusion.
He said the MQM had also approached superior courts to shed light on the legal standing of Khan as a parliamentarian and whether he was entitled to his seat for violating the definitions of being a “Sadiq” and “Ameen” in the constitution.
Kunwar Naveed Jameel, who was also present at the press conference, said being an MNA of the party, he had written to the Election Commission and provided ample proof with regards to the character of PTI chief for seeking his removal from the National Assembly.
He said he had also included as proof the telephonic conversation between PTI MNA Dr Arif Alvi and Khan regarding the attack on the premises of state television in Islamabad during the sit-in.
Also speaking on the occasion, Waseem Akhter appealed to the judicial commissioner to also probe the PTI sit-in and “suspicious conversations” of Khan.
He also asked the Supreme Court to take stern notice of the situation and investigate where the billions of rupees, used to organise the sit-in, came from. He also asked the authorities to look into the allegations of federal defence minister Khawaj Asif who had remarked that the national intelligence agency was behind the months-long sit-in of Khan’s party.
Replying to a question, Siddiqui said the MQM did not harbour any animosity towards anyone but it was the responsibility of the quarters concerned to look into the affairs of the person who appeared to have credibility and was a member of the parliament.
Meanwhile, the federal government has decided to present the report of judicial commission in the parliament.
Last year, the PTI had led a months-long sit-in in Islamabad with a series of protests across the country against alleged rigging in the 2013 general election by the ruling party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
In this regard, Khan had led the sit-in and demanded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down from office.
But in March this year, the two sides agreed over the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the claims of foul play in the landmark polls, which marked the first handover of power from one elected civilian government to another in Pakistan’s history.
On Thursday the three-judge commission, headed by Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, delivered its 237-page report, saying the elections were "in large part organised and conducted fairly and in accordance with the law" and allegations of a plot to rig the result were not supported by evidence.
Though the report pointed to shortcomings by the Election Commission of Pakistan, at the same time it said the evidence did not support the claims and the result was a "true and fair reflection of the mandate by the country’s electorate".
Following the announcement of results, the prime minister in a televised address on Thursday had shown restraint and political pragmatism, with the remarks that the federal government was willing to "forget whatever happened after the 2013 elections" and expressed the hope that his rivals would also avoid negative politics in the future.
On the other hand, PTI chief Imran Khan said he accepted the commission's decision but would give a detailed reaction later after reading the full report.
Marwat to move SC
Irfanullah Marwat, an MPA of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, plans to file a reference in the Supreme Court against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan for "misleading the people of Pakistan" through his persistent allegations regarding rigging in the May 2013 elections.
Speaking to The News, Marwat said the judicial commission's report had "exposed the ill-intentions of the PTI and Imran Khan". He demanded that Khan tender an apology for the uncertainty he created through his anti-government protests. "The report has clearly said that the elections were held in a transparent manner. All three points that Khan had raised have been proved invalid so he must no longer be entitled to represent the citizens at any forum," said Marwat.
He added that if Khan failed to tender an apology, he would move the Election Commission of Pakistan to request that the PTI chief be barred from contesting any future elections.