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Thursday March 28, 2024

Imran’s criticism of ECP member unfounded

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its chief Imran Khan continue a campaign against members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) especially against Justice (R) Riaz Kiani by leveling different general allegations without presenting any evidence or even specifying exact nature of any of the allegation.Justice (R) Riaz Kiani who

By Ahmad Noorani
October 10, 2015
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its chief Imran Khan continue a campaign against members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) especially against Justice (R) Riaz Kiani by leveling different general allegations without presenting any evidence or even specifying exact nature of any of the allegation.
Justice (R) Riaz Kiani who is member ECP from Punjab and enjoys good reputation is a consistent target of attacks of Imran Khan because of PTI chief’s understanding that ECP’s member from Punjab is the head of electioneering in the province and that PTI lost 2013 general elections from this province.
Experts say that like many other misunderstandings of PTI leadership this is also a baseless presumption and though under constitution four members of election commission are chosen from all the four provinces but no member is incharge of electioneering of his province and all major decision are made by the five-member commission with a majority vote. The five-member election commission comprises a chief election commissioner and four members.
As a matter of fact, any member of the commission could not play any direct role whatsoever in the process of election on election day and polling process is carried out in presence of representatives of all the contesting political parties. No doubt many past examples show that certain elements try to maneuver polling process by adopting different means but all such acts can be monitored, objected or stopped by the vigilant polling agents of the parties. It is an established practice that if objection of polling agents on a certain polling station on polling day are not entertained, he/she informs or files written complaint with the concerned Returning Officer. Not a single such complaint made on election day from any PTI worker or polling agent was ever reported.
Record proves that PTI’s rigging allegations campaign was an after-thought and was launched many weeks after the election-day to give an impression of being a national party. Election record also shows that there was no PTI candidate in 40 national assembly constituencies and in more than 50% constituencies either security deposits of PTI’ contesting candidates were confiscated or there was no PTI candidate. A party which was non-existent in more than 50% constituencies claimed after the elections that its victory was stopped through rigging and that rigging was carried out by multiple players including ECP members especially member Punjab Justice Riaz Kiani.
A high powered judicial commission constituted on PTI demand comprising top Supreme Court judges entrusted by PTI leadership not only nullified all rigging allegations but also specifically rejected accusations against ECP members. However, PTI chief Imran Khan who had promised before the nation that he will accept the Judicial Commission findings took U-turn and continued leveling same allegations against ECP members specifically targeting Justice Riaz Kiani without even explaining as to how Kiani committed rigging or connived with anyone to rig 2013 General Elections or any subsequent bye-elections.
Whole election process is clearly described step-by-step in the relevant law, The Representation of People Act 1976, and each and every step can be monitored, or challenged in relevant forums in case of any dubious happening. PTI never ever highlighted any such discrepancy at any level during or immediately after the polling process but always launched a maligning campaign against some pointed people only after the announcement of election results. Many analysts have condemned the exercise of pinpointing, attacking or questioning the honesty and credibility of any official without any evidence or even without exactly explaining the allegation simply for some political gains or to give an impression that PTI is a big party and could not lose the elections.
In fact, it is not only Justice Riaz Kiani but many honest and dedicated professional Pakistanis which include personalities like former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry who remained target of PTI chief’s baseless and ridiculous allegations. Imran Khan never presented any evidence of any allegation which was main reason of rejection of his allegations by the highest commission constituted for this purpose but he continued to malign and attack honest and wonderful Pakistanis working day and night for the motherland.