LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take action against Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar following the ECP ordered re-election in the entire NA-75 Daska,
In her statement, she said that it was on PM Imran’s orders that the election commission staff was whisked away during the by-election in the constituency on February 19.
“PM Imran and Punjab CM Usman Buzdar had held the chief secretary, the IGP and the entire provincial administration hostage during the by-polls,” she alleged. She was of the view that the process of accountability would remain incomplete until the prime minister was not held accountable over his ‘election management’.
Marriyum asked as to why the chief secretary was not available, and when the first attempt to get in touch with him failed, why was he not approached again to convey to him the complaints about rigging.
“The ECP needs to look into this,” she stressed. PML-N spokesperson said all proofs were establishing the fact that the by-polls in the constituency had been rigged. She reiterated that PM Imran was the ‘real culprit’ on whose orders election results were tampered with.
Marriyum added that those who had come to power in 2018 through ‘rigging’ had been caught red-handed doing the same on February 19.
She also called upon the chief election commissioner to not only take action against the prime minister and the chief minister, but also try to find out as to where these two had masterminded the plan to rob the PML-N of its mandate, and who else was involved in it.
Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz on Friday said that the opposition’s appreciation for the ECP has exposed its political hypocrisy.
In a post on the social-networking website Twitter, the minister said that changing stance and negating its own narrative has become a hallmark of the opposition.
He said that the opposition only accepts those decisions, which come in its favour. He also said that opposition only considers those elections as transparent in which it wins; otherwise, it makes hue and cry in the name of rigging.
Faraz said that the opposition’s adulation for ECP shows that the commission is independent, free, and sovereign in discharging its responsibilities in the government of Prime Minister Imran.
While allegations of rigging and foul play build up for the upcoming elections, the scandals involving the previous Senate elections continue to evolve as well. In a major development, a sub-committee of the federal cabinet, probing the leaked video showing lawmakers allegedly receiving money ahead of Senate elections in 2018, has summoned senators who were elected despite not having a due number of votes.
The notices were served to Senator Rubina Khalid, Bahramand Tangi, Dilawar Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed Khan. The lawmakers have been advised to submit their replies within seven days in writing or appear before the committee in person to explain how they were sworn in as senators despite not having a party vote.
The notices were also served to the members’ assemblies who were seen in the video.
The committee earlier had decided against conducting forensics of the footage, showing lawmakers allegedly receiving money before Senate polls in 2018.
The committee after deliberations had decided that the video showing the lawmakers was original and they had no proof to challenge its authenticity.
It is pertinent to mention here that on February 9, a video surfaced which exposed the horse-trading during Senate elections in 2018 by some party lawmakers who could be seen as counting bundles of currencies and hiding it inside the bag.
