CEC must be praised for resisting PTI pressure: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has praised the chief election commissioner (CEC) for withstanding the pressure of the former government and improving the standing of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

He said Imran Khan’s politics now is to target all institutions with his ‘Mujhay Kiyun Nahi Bachaya’ [Why I was not saved] campaign. “His politics is now based on lies and propaganda,” he said in a statement on Monday.

The PPP chairman said “we support all institutions in their effort to transition from controversial to constitutional”. He said people know the only reason Imran Khan was targeting the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was the chief election commissioner (CEC), his own party’s choice, had refused to turn the ECP into Imran Khan’s tiger force. “He has stood with his institution and the Constitution; if this continues we have hopes of seeing an empowered ECP in future,” he said.

The PPP chairman said that Imran Khan’s protest call at ECP was a blatant pressure tactic to further bully, blackmail, and pressure the institution into not releasing damning foreign funding decisions. “All such efforts will fail. The truth will prevail, Insha-Allah,” he added.

Separately, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari summoned the hybrid meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the PPP for Tuesday (today).

Bilawal is in Karachi after returning from London after meeting the PMLN Supremo Nawaz Sharif where both agreed for the roadmap for new Charter of Democracy and discussed ways forward after a constitutional victory for democracy, the rule of law and supremacy of parliament.

According to sources, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is expected to take the PPP CEC into confidence on his meeting with Nawaz Sharif in London especially on a broad roadmap of new Charter of Democracy, which was agreed upon between them.

Sources said Naveed Qamar, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Senator Sherry Rehman will brief the PPP CEC on the issue of new version of Charter of Democracy, which was discussed in the meeting between former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in London.

The issue of oath of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the foreign minister will also come under discussion in the CEC meeting. And if the CEC gives formal approval to its chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, then it is expected that he may take oath as foreign minister by Wednesday or Thursday.