non-prosecution, 30 dismissed as withdrawn, 25 dismissed due to non-prosecution and 112 dismissed after complete trial. Only 44 petitions have been accepted.
Out of the 58 petitions filed by the PTI, 39 have been dismissed and only two accepted by the tribunals. The foregoing facts constitute strong legal evidence negating the impression of a massive and systematic rigging. The acceptance of 44 petitions, however, does point out some malpractices and rigging at the level of the individual candidates.
Another very crucial point to be noted about the rigging allegations by the PTI is that it raised the issue a year after the notification of the elections results. Even an internal report compiled by the party to ascertain reasons for its defeat in the elections mostly focused on the party’s faulty election strategy and did not hint about systematic rigging in the elections.
It is also an irrefutable reality that the international agencies that monitored the 2013 elections, and the Free And Fair Election Network (Fafen) and Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat), in their reports while pointing out a myriad of procedural, administrative infirmities and malpractices and violation of election rules, never questioned the overall outcome of the elections. Fafen and Pildat are credible independent agencies that have been monitoring elections in Pakistan; the latter has compiled reports on almost all the elections held in Pakistan since 1970. According to Pildat, polling day rigging in the 2013 elections was very low; a ranting refutation of Imran’s claims.
The questionnaire given to the parties demands specific answers and proofs which, according to a statement by Qamar Zaman Kaira of the PPP, no party actually has. That probably is the case with most parties, which have ostensibly jumped on the bandwagon either in a show of solidarity with the PTI or out of grudge against the ruling party. Proving systematic rigging is indeed a tough ask.
The matter is in the hands of the very competent judges of the judicial commission who enjoy the faith and confidence of all the political forces, including the PTI whose chairman has repeatedly said that his party would ungrudgingly accept the findings of the commission and there would be no-sits after that. The commission is a better judge of what it is required to do and what kind of evidence it needs to draw its conclusions in consonance with its TORs and who needs to be called for recording evidence to substantiate the rigging allegations or otherwise.
The commission should also record the statements of all those against whom Imran Khan has been hurling allegations of playing a role in the alleged rigging; take into consideration the reports compiled by Fafen and Pildat and also have an incisive look at the decisions given by the election tribunals as pieces of evidence. The commission has been tasked to unravel the truth about a very crucial issue. Its findings will have a profound impact on the future political landscape of the country.
It is, therefore, hoped that the commission would thoroughly consider all the relevant evidence and explore all avenues to come up with the right conclusions. Whatever the final verdict of the judicial commission, one hopes that all the political parties wil accept it without any reservations.
The writer is a freelance contributor.
Email: ashpak10gmail.com