JC punctures PTI’s rigging drama entirely, squarely

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission has punctured the PTI election rigging drama entirely and squarely.
It has been established now that there was neither any pre-planned conspiracy to rig the polls nor the mandate was stolen. Not even one single person has been held responsible for any conspiracy to rig the polls.
The choice judges and the choice commission of the PTI Chief Imran Khan have rejected all three allegations included in the Commission’s scope of inquiry. Now the million dollar question is whether or not Imran Khan would show the grace and guts to apologise from all those whom he had ridiculed publicly by repeatedly charging them of being a part of the “conspiracy” to rig the 2013 polls.
The Commission has not shed even an iota of doubt against any of those who were publicly named and humiliated for months by the PTI leadership. During the last one year, Imran Khan and PTI have been accusing a number of persons and government institutions of rigging the elections to the advantage of the PML-N.
The allegations of getting bribe and other monitory benefits from PML-N Chief and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were also leveled against some of those who enjoy good repute. Demands were also made to try some of those accused by the PTI under Article 6.
Those accused include former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who was blamed for getting the elections rigged in favour of the PML-N through Returning Officers. But the Judicial Commission report proves it wrong.
Similarly, the then Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim and some of Commission members particularly from Punjab were accused of rigging the elections for Nawaz Sharif and PML-N. However, the Judicial Commission outcome also trashes this allegation.
Former Judge of the apex court Justice (R) Khalilur Rehman Ramday was also accused of controlling the ROs besides organizing the victory speech of Nawaz Sharif. No such allegation got any credence

from the three member Commission led by the revered Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Nasirul Mulk.
The then caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Najam Sethi was also accused by Imran Khan of having been appointed as country’s cricket chief by PM Nawaz Sharif because of Sethi’s alleged role in 35 Punctures. Thirty-five punctures allegations meant 35 constituencies where elections were rigged in favour of the PML-N. To the PTI’s bad luck, the Commission did not find such punctures.
Regarding Sethi’s appointment as Chairman PCB and his niece election on PML-N ticket, the Commission said “no inference, without more, can be drawn there-from that it was done as a favour by the PML-N for his help in the elections”.
Imran Khan has also repeatedly alleged that Geo/Jang Group and its Chief Executive Mir Shakilur Rehman have been part of the greater game to get the PML-N elected and PTI defeated in the 2013 elections. Short of naked abuses, foul language was used time and again against Jang Group’s chief executive.
The Geo/Jang Group chief executive was also blamed for getting money from Nawaz Sharif government but here too the PTI has to eat the dust. Allegations against Jang Group were so absurd that none of them even qualify to get a mention in the Commission report.
While Imran Khan hurled all sorts of accusations on all and sundry, the Commission ruled, “The allegations made against the then caretaker chief minister of the Punjab, the Punjab administration, the ECP and others involved in the electoral process in the Punjab in terms of manipulation or influence also lacked any degree of specification and remained unsubstantiated by the evidence on record. Rather the allegation with regard to TOR 3(b) was not seriously pursued in either the written or oral submissions made at the conclusion of the proceedings by the parties.”
The Judicial Commission’s scope of inquiry included the following three questions 3(a) The General Elections-2013 were organised and conducted impartially, honestly, fairly, justly and in accordance with law; 3(b) The general elections-2013 were manipulated or influenced pursuant to a systematic effort by design by anyone and 3(c) The results of the general elections-2013 on an overall basis are a true and fair reflection of the mandate given by the electorate.
The Judicial Commission responded to these questions as: “TOR 3(a). Taking into account all the evidence on record, notwithstanding the shortcomings of the ECP as mentioned earlier in this Report, the 2013 general elections were in large part organised and conducted fairly and in accordance with the law.
“TOR 3(b). The plan or design to manipulate or influence the election has not been disclosed with any degree of specification by any of the parties to the proceedings nor is it discernible from the material placed before the Commission. Allegations against those allegedly involved in the plan/design also remained unsubstantiated by the evidence on record.
“TOR 3(c). When the entire context of the elections are considered along with the meaning of overall basis, despite some lapses by the ECP it cannot be said on the evidence before the Commission that on an overall basis the elections were not a true and fair reflection of the mandate given by the electorate.”