ECP Rejects PM Imran Khan’s Criticism On Senate Elections

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday expressed disappointment over Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s statements on Senate elections.

A day after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s televised speech in which he criticized the ECP for allowing “foul play” in the recent Senate elections, the commission on Friday has issued an official statement via a press release.

“It is a shocking matter that under the same staff in the same election under the same roof on the same day, what they won is acceptable and [what they lost] is unacceptable. Is this not an open contradiction?” the commission said, adding: “The ECP rejects this.”

“Let us work, don’t throw mud on national institutions. Every political party and person should have the spirit of admitting defeat. You can’t ignore the law to please anyone,” it added.

The ECP urges the critics of the Senate elections to come forth with evidence and then accuse the commission of any wrongdoing.

“If there is a difference, bring evidence. If you can hear suggestions, why not complain? Secret voting is the beauty of the constitution and democracy,” the statement said.

“The election commission hears everyone but fulfills its responsibilities in accordance with the law and Constitution and takes decisions independently, not under any sort of pressure,” the statement added.

The statement was issued after the meeting of the commission on PM’s allegations.

The meeting was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.

On Thursday, a day after Senate polls, PM Imran Khan in his address to the nation alleged the ECP of damaging democracy.

“The Election Commission of Pakistan has given an opportunity to discredit democracy,” he said.

PM Imran Khan added that Yousaf Raza Gillani distributed money for winning the election. “

The ECP saved the culprits involved in the vote theft. The objective of defeating Abdul Hafeez Sheikh was to hang the sword of no-confidence. The opposition wants the NRO by blackmailing me,” he said.

While reacting to the ECP statement, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhary said that ECP  should not be sorrowful over the statement of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Talking to the media on Friday, the federal minister said that the issuance of a press release on the statement of Prime Minister Imran Khan was inappropriate.

Fawad Chaudhary said that the institutions do not express their impartiality through press releases but through their acts.

“We won one election and lost another. It is the proof of rigging,” he added.

The minister said that people would not point fingers if all elections would be free and transparent, and called for a transparent mechanism to stop rigging.

He also added that the National Assembly would express confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday.