ECP rebuts reports of CEC being appointed ambassador

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Thursday strongly rejected reports claiming Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja was being made an ambassador in a foreign country.

The clarification came after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Ayub Khan alleged the government was appointing the CEC as Pakistan’s ambassador to Canada, in return of his “services”.

In a statement, a spokesperson of the ECP termed the “rumour” as totally baseless.

It said neither the government has made any such offer to him nor he intends to do so.

He will remain in his country even after completing his tenure and is not seeking any overseas assignment, the spokesperson added.

The creator of such rumours and those who spread them further are warned to demonstrate responsibility, the spokesperson said.

PTI claims CEC being appointed envoy to Canada

After losing another National Assembly seat, NA-81, to the PML-N, Imran Khan-founded PTI accused that the was asked to give 20 of their seats to the ruling alliance.

A day earlier, the ECP had issued a notification of Khan Bahadar of the PML-N as the returned (winning) candidate from the constituency PP-100. From this constituency, the PTI candidate Chaudhry Umair Wasi Zafar had been declared the winner with a lead of about four thousand votes.

In a statement, PTI senior leader Omar Ayub Khan alleged: “The CEC failed to hold free and fair elections,” adding that the election watchdog should tender his resignation immediately over his failure.

“Ballet papers were sold for Rs80 to 90 million,” he also claimed.

In return of his “services”, the ruling alliance is all set to appoint the CEC as Pakistan’s ambassador to Canada, the PTI leader alleged. 

Firing a fresh salvo at the ruling alliance, Omar said: “People sitting on the treasury benches are beneficiary of Form 47s.”

The PTI claimed that its mandate was stolen in the February 8 general elections and results were changed in Form 47s. The former ruling party also claimed they won 180 NA seats as per the statistics of Form 45s.

It is pertinent to mention here that Form 45, also known as the Presiding Officer's Results of the Count, is the form that the presiding officer (PO) is required to sign and provide with his thumb impression and signature to the polling agents.

This form records the number of votes cast in a polling station. It also separately mentions how many votes a candidate received from that polling station.

While Form 47 is another important form related to polling stations. In this form, the count of votes from all the polling stations of a constituency is recorded by the returning officer (RO). This makes a provisional consolidated result of the constituency sans postal ballots.

Omar also slammed the government over the two-week ban on meetings with Imran Khan in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail. He termed the ban a “drama” and demanded access to the PTI founder.

Bushra Bibi, wife of the incarcerated prime minister was confined in a “small room”, the PTI leader added.

Earlier in the day, the PTI core committee meeting condemned its founder’s detention.

The huddle noted that intentions to victimise the PTI founder have been exposed. Delaying tactics are being used on petitions challenging Khan’s convictions in different cases, it added.

The meeting expressed concerns over the health and alleged threats to the life of Khan’s wife in Bani Gala.

Bushra was placed under house arrest at her husband’s Islamabad mansion after she and her husband were convicted of graft allegations.

The PTI demanded fool-proof security and health facilities for the former first lady. The former ruling party also condemned the detention of Khan’s wife at Bani Gala against her will.

Terming the process of recounting in different constituencies in Punjab as “unconstitutional”, the PTI alleged that the seats were being handed over to the PML-N by snatching the people’s mandate.

The PTI demanded the audit of all the constituencies as per the Form 45s.

Talking to journalists, PTI leader Shoaib Shaheen announced that they would move the Supreme Court (SC) against the verdict of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) in the reserved seats case.

Earlier today, the PHC dismissed the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) petition challenging the ECP ruling that denied reserved seats to the party.

"Petitions are unanimously rejected," the court maintained.

PTI refuses to accept victory of 8-party alliance

During an interaction with journalists following his meeting with Khan in Adiala Jail on the court’s order, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced that they did not accept the victory of the eight-party ruling alliance.

They came to power on the basis of Form 47, he alleged.

Khan was in good health, the PTI leader said, adding that matters relating to elections on Senate seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also discussed in the meeting.

The PTI would unveil the names of its candidates for Senate elections in a day or two, he added.

Gohar also announced that the PTI would hold a mass public rally on March 23.

Attempts were underway to turn PTI’s victory into defeat in the recounting process, he alleged.

For his part, PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat alleged that police officers received millions of rupees as extortion after kidnapping their workers and supporters in KP.

“Khan directed to remove the [KP] IG immediately,” he said.

Legal action will be taken against those who filed fake cases and imposed MPO in violation of the law and the Constitution, he added.

The PTI leader said that the law ministry would look into matters related to fake cases.