ECP is mafia’s tool, why should I appear before it: Imran

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is a tool in the hands of mafia, as it has been established by Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Zardari.

Talking to the media at the Lahore airport on Friday, he said the ECP was an administrative body and not a judicial institution and therefore it could not issue contempt notices or arrest warrants against him.

“Why should I appear before it? It is not a court,” he said. The PTI chief noted that Maryam Nawaz was not authorised to hold cabinet meeting and run the media cell. Even then, she had been acting as a deputy prime minister, he regretted. He was optimistic that voters of constituency NA-120 would cast their votes in favour of PTI candidate on Sept 17. Police and vagabonds were threatening the residents of the constituency, he alleged.

He said he had gone to Data Darbar for offering prayers. However, people gathered there and went there in the form of a rally. He said Nawaz Sharif’s “Mujhe Kyun Nikala (why I was ousted) rally was aimed at exerting pressure on the judiciary so that the monitoring judge for NAB court could be removed. He said the Asghar Khan case was reported some 23 years ago which was not heard yet. He claimed that 15-20 cases against Nawaz Sharif family were lying before NAB, but no action was taken. These are the people who use institutions against their opponents, he added.

Citing the verdict in the Panama case, he said a judge in his judgment said that Iqama was a small thing, but billions of rupees were minted through it. Adyala jail is the real place for  Nawaz Sharif, he said. He also felicitated the Supreme Court over pronouncing a just decision in PanamaLeaks case.

To a question, Imran Khan said he had provided all details in the letter written to the ECP. He said he had not committed any wanton act. He said who granted the Election Commission powers of court. “On what grounds, the Election Commission was summoning me,” he added. He said he would fight the case of election commission in the court.