PTI presents charter of demands to ECP for fair polls

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Wednesday presented a 24-point Charter of Demand (CoD) to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to “ensure holding of free, fair and transparent general elections, and provide the PTI a level playing field to conduct poll campaigns freely”.

PTI’s senior leaders and legal representatives, including Barrister Gohar Ali and Dr Babar Awan, presented the CoD to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja during their 45-minute-long meeting here at the ECP Secretariat.

The PTI leaders, during the meeting, shared their concerns pertaining to the upcoming elections scheduled to be held on February 8, 2024 and talked about, what they called, obstacles impeding their election campaign in detail.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, PTI spokesperson Barrister Gohar Ali urged the electoral body to release the long-pending written decision to the petitions filed by the PTI on October 18 and 30 respectively on PTI’s electoral symbol bat and put an end to the uncertainty.

He demanded the ECP should instantly allot the party the electoral symbol of bat and provide a level-playing field.

The PTI spokesperson declared that the CEC assured them that the bat symbol was PTI’s electoral symbol and it would be on the ballot paper in the coming elections, hoping the ECP would sort out the issue in the next two days.

He said that in the CoD, the PTI also demanded the release and recovery of kidnapped and arrested PTI workers and leaders. Gohar Ali added that they informed the ECP that the PTI was not being allowed to hold public gatherings, rallies and corner meetings on private premises.

The PTI spokesperson pointed out that either their requests for holding public meetings were unduly delayed, or even flatly refused.

He said during the meeting, they highlighted the challenges being faced by the PTI in holding meetings and printing flags and banners. The party was not even allowed to print party flags and banners, he claimed.

Gohar Ali explained that there were untold obstacles in their election campaign and hence, they requested a notification from the ECP to enable a fair and just electoral process. They also took up the issue of “illegal release of huge funds by the caretaker government” with the CEC, adding that the caretaker government’s move of releasing funds was beyond their constitutional mandate and authority.

Moreover, the PTI spokesperson noted that they also drew the ECP’s attention towards the appointments of PMLN candidates as chairpersons of the Power Distribution Companies (Discos), which was a clear pre-poll rigging and the commission should take instant notice of it.

To a question about the PTI chairman, the spokesperson categorically said that Imran Khan was, is and would the chairman of the party even if he was in illegal incarceration, and it was out of the question to minus him from the electoral battle.

He stressed that it was the constitutional responsibility of the ECP to maintain a level-playing field for all political parties; therefore, the electoral body should play its constitutional role in this regard.

Gohar Ali noted that the CEC assured them that the commission would leave no stone unturned and would take all possible steps to conduct free, fair and transparent elections in the country. He claimed that at present, PTI was being denied its constitutional, legal and political rights. The PTI spokesperson said the CEC assured implementation of all their party’s legitimate demands and hoped that he would take tangible and practical steps to address the party’s genuine concerns forthwith.