Islamabad:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) demanded on Sunday that the government immediately and transparently appoint an honest, impartial and neutral electoral commissioner (CEC) in consultation with the PTI to revitalize the electoral surveillance organization and ensure the continuity of democratic processes.
The PTI’s request comes while the mandate of the outgoing president of the CEC, Sikandar Sultan Raja, must expire on January 26, but he can continue to exercise his functions until a new appointment is made under the 26th amendment of the Constitution.
“The dark era of the outgoing CEC has left an indelible mark on the country’s electoral landscape,” said Central PTI Information Secretary, Cheikh Waqas Akram.
He underlined that it was the responsibility of the government to guarantee the appointment in a timely time and on the basis of a consensus of the CEC and two other provincial leaders of the electoral body “in order to protect the institution from a new destruction”.
The PTI information secretary said that the mandate of the outgoing CEC had seriously affected the reputation of the ECP, and that allowing him to continue to occupy this post would be a blatant injustice, not only to the institution but also towards the nation.
The PTI had difficult relations with the ECP under the direction of Raja, marked by judicial disputes and public conflicts. Tensions culminated during the 2024 general elections, where the PTI allegedly allegedly fraud and falsification of votes after the dispute led by the ECP has deprived the party of its emblematic electoral symbol: the cricket bat.
The party has repeatedly accused Raja of having delayed the results of the elections and of falsifying the statement of the votes, allegations that the ECP has always denied. The PTI also called for the resignation of Raja, claiming that its actions have eroded confidence in the ECP’s ability to organize fair elections.
Under Raja’s mandate, several key electoral questions have remained unresolved, including the postponement of senatorial elections for 11 seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the allocation of seats reserved due to a dead end between the Supreme Court and Parliament, and Delays in local elections in Pendjab and Islamabad. .
In his statement, Waqas also deplored that Raja’s “controversial mandate” had harmful and large -scale consequences for Pakistan’s democratic processes.
He added that “the government should appoint a impartial and competent person through a transparent and advisory process”, as prescribed the Constitution to restore the credibility and integrity of the ECP.
The last call of the PTI in favor of a new CEC follows the letters written respectively by the head of the opposition to the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, and the head of the opposition in the Senate, Shibli Faraz, to the president of The National Assembly and the President of the Senate, for the immediate appointment of a new CEC.
Waqas urged the government to constitute a parliamentary committee without delay to supervise appointments, as stipulated in article 213 of the Constitution. He noted that the appointment of a impartial and credible person as a new CEC would be the first step towards the healing of the injuries inflicted on Pakistani democracy and the reconstruction of the confidence of the nation in the ECP. The PTI spokesman warned that excessive delay in this crucial appointment could trigger a constitutional crisis and further erode public confidence in the democratic system. He declared that the Supreme Court also revealed the prejudices and the partiality of the ECP in the detailed judgment on the disqualification case of deputy Adil Bazai.
Waqas stressed that the PTI would not accept Sikandar in this position even if one day because he seriously damaged the credibility of the ECP during his controversial mandate.
The false image of resistance of the PPP
At the same time, he criticized the PPP for its “duplicity and hypocritical role”, affirming that the party has always tried to deceive the public by claiming to bring substantial changes to anti-public or anti-democracy laws. In reality, he added, the party has only made cosmetic adjustments, as a compromise.
He accused the party of falsely projecting an image of resistance while secretly facilitating “tailor -made laws” for political purposes. He argued that the reforming claims of the PPP were only superficial, insofar as the party had always worked behind the scenes to protect the undemocratic laws for its own benefit.
He declared that the PTI would continue to fight for constitutional supremacy, the rule of law and real independence, whatever the obstacles and the challenges it is confronted.
No internal division
In addition, Waqas rejected the information reporting internal divisions within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa section of the PTI, saying that the party remained a cohesive and unified force under the leadership of Imran Khan.
He pointed out that the founder of the PTI was the only binding force that maintained party cohesion.
