The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday called for the formation of a judicial commission to probe alleged rigging the Feb. 8 general elections and submit proposals to minimize manipulation in future polls.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan and Leader of the Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan unveiled a “white paper” prepared by his party, stressing it presented a roadmap for “true democracy” in the country. The 234-page document details alleged pre-poll rigging, as well as the results of controversial constituencies, and claims to expose “corrupt practices,” such as the alleged alteration of final results through changes to Form-47s.
Reiterating that the polls must be investigated to install a government truly representative of the public, it also called for the resignation of the chief election commissioner (CEC) over his alleged role in the polling exercise.
According to Gohar, the document consists of “irrefutable” facts that show the PTI winning 180 seats in the National Assembly compared to the 93 it currently holds with the Sunni Ittehad Council in the Lower House. He also reiterated a demand of the PTI for the Supreme Court to fix cases related to the elections and “restore” the public’s mandate on the basis of Form-45 results. He said the judicial commission should identify the parties involved in the alleged rigging and punish them to deter such actions in future.
Claiming media—both local and foreign—supported the PTI’s stance, Gohar also urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to expedite proceedings on the 158 pending petitions of the PTI against the poll results, including the denial of reserved seats for it. Lamenting over the lack of a “level playing field” for the PTI in the general elections, he recalled that the party was denied its electoral symbol and various candidates were rejected from contesting.
Omar Ayub, meanwhile, called for the resignation of the CEC for allegedly “undermining” the public mandate and reiterated calls for the immediate release of Imran Khan and all incarcerated PTI workers. Faraz, similarly, alleged people’s votes for the PTI were “given” to losing candidates to “defeat” the PTI.