The PML-N has requested that the judiciary to take a suo motu notice on the Daska by-polls by calling it “violation of the Constitution” following the report by the Election Commission of Pakistan which determined that the elections were not held in a free and transparent manner.
PML-N leader and former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, while speaking to media stated that Article 240 of the Constitution says all institutions should help the Election Commission of Pakistan in holding transparent elections.
The former premier revealed that the ECP’s report contains the names of all those involved in the “rigging” of the polls held on February 19, and that a meeting held in this regard was attended by “many PTI members”. He alleged that the “meeting he meeting decided how the election would be rigged.”
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on behalf of PMLN requested the judiciary to give an exemplary punishment to all “conspirators” and termed the report a “test” for the superior judiciary.
He went on to state that the Deputy Colleges of Sialkot summoned all presiding officers to Daska College and gave them instructions .
“Presiding officers were directed to keep voting slow in Daska city”, while adding that they were “told not to interfere in whatever the police and administration do”. He added that “Polling stations were ordered to close at 4:30pm and all Form 45.”
Abbasi further alleged that the Deputy Education (Female) also invited women presiding officers to her home and that Assistant Commissioner Daska and DSP Sambrial were also present at the DEO’s house. “Women presiding officers were asked to help the government and not interfere in rigging,” he stated.
Adding to that, Abbasi stated that 20 presiding officers were transferred via private vehicles under the “scheme” and were “kept at two different police stations” as well as an unknown location, while revealing that one woman presiding officer was “maltreated”.
“The report says the RO did not leave his office,” Abbasi said, adding that the returning officers “did not know of the missing presiding officers’ whereabouts till seven hours later”.
He further stated that, in this regard the chief minister and prime minister “will have to answer” pertaining to how and why such mismanagement had taken place.
“This matter goes all the way to the chief minister and Prime Minister Imran Khan,” Abbasi conclued.
