On Saturday, Former Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha, a senior Pakistani bureaucrat accused the chief election commissioner and the chief justice of involvement in election rigging against the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He resigned from his position, taking the "responsibility for all this wrongdoing".
As quoted by Dawn Newspaper, He said, "I am taking the responsibility for all this wrongdoing and telling you that the chief election commissioner and the chief justice are also completely involved in this.”
Making some serious Allegations on the Judicial body and the Election body, Chattha said the candidates who were “losing” the elections “were made to win”.
He said "stabbing the country in its back does not let" him sleep. "I should be punished for the injustice I have done and others who were involved in this injustice should also be punished.”
The bureaucrat mentioned feeling "pressure" to the extent that he considered suicide, but ultimately decided to bring the issues to the public's attention. He appealed, "It is my request to the entire bureaucracy to not do anything wrong for all these politicians."
Soon after these serious allegations, he was arrested after the police reached the venue and shifted him to an unknown location.
Election Commission Denies Allegations
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has strongly enied the accusations made by Chattha against the chief election commissioner.
In a press release, the ECP stated, "The Election Commission of Pakistan strongly rejects the allegations levelled by the Commissioner Rawalpindi on the chief election commissioner or the election commission and no official of the election commission never issued any instructions regarding changing the election results to the Commissioner Rawalpindi.”
"Neither is the commissioner of any division ever appointed as a District Returning Officer, Returning Officer or Presiding Officer nor do they ever play a direct role in the conduct of elections."
However, it said that the matter would be investigated.
Chief Justice also denied the Allegations
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa dismissed his allegations as "baseless.” He said,
"Someone can blame me for theft or murder tomorrow. If hurling allegations is your right, give me evidence along with it too.”
He added, "I am against contempt for myself. It's not about me but the institution."
Imran Khan and PTI’s reaction
Imran Khan applauded the "incriminating confession by the Commissioner of Rawalpindi,"stating that it confirmed the theft of at least 13 National Assembly seats from PTI in Rawalpindi Division alone.
He took to his official X account and wrote in a post, "His statement serves as a stark revelation of the countrywide systematic manipulation of election results where PTI's significant leads were deceitfully tampered into losses.”
Imran Khan’s close aid and PTI Leader Zulfi Bokhari , also wrote in a post, "Shocking revelation from the current Pindi Commissioner, admitting to unbearable pressure to rig the elections, pushing him close to suicide. Categorically blames CEC and CJP as part of the crime.”
He added, "The entire Pindi Division's elections have been rigged, rendering them null and void. If this has happened here, one can only imagine the situation in less prominent divisions. These elections cannot be considered valid or acceptable to anyone, including those involved in the rigging.”
Similarly, PTI's Ali Muhammad appreciated Chattha’s bold move to confess on the alleged polling rigging and said that the former commissioner Chattha has proved that the bureaucracy's conscience was "still alive".
He stated that it's time for the chief justice to intervene regarding PTI's "stolen mandate" and for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to rectify the mistake by helping them reclaim their mandate. He alleged that more than 170 seats were taken from PTI through electoral rigging.
Chattha’s comments coincided with nationwide protests initiated by the imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, protesting against the alleged rigging and theft of its mandate in the February 8 elections.
Pakistan Muslim League links it to ‘Political Allegiance”
In a statement posted on X, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) remarked that the former commissioner of Rawalpindi's allegations of election rigging were motivated by "political allegiance." They highlighted that the bureaucrat was related to Ahmed Chattha, a PTI-supported candidate for the MNA seat.
PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah Khan claimed that his "friend" Chattha has been dealing with mental health issues for a "considerable period." "I believe there has been ongoing treatment in that regard," Sanaullah stated during an interview with Geo News.
Punjab caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir also disputed Chattha's allegations of election result manipulation. In an interview with Geo News, he remarked that Chattha had not provided any evidence to support the claims of result tampering.
Observing that the commissioner is set to retire on March 13, Mir speculated, "I presume he is attempting to launch his political career after retirement." He additionally advocated for a "fair investigation and meaningful trial of all those involved in this blatant theft of mandate."
The Human Rights Council of Pakistan reacted strongly
The Human Rights Council of Pakistan, in a statement, highlighted the emerging revelation of the state bureaucracy's involvement in rigging in Pakistan. In reference to Chattha's resignation, the statement emphasised, "This is not just a resignation or an acknowledgment of guilt; it is an indictment of incompetence and negligence across all government institutions, including the Election Commission of Pakistan."
The statement further asserted, "Now the people of Pakistan are turning to the Supreme Court of Pakistan for justice. If Rawalpindi has experienced such extensive rigging, one can only imagine the widespread rigging that may have occurred in the general elections across the entire country."
Pakistan Elections Results
After more than eight days since the general elections, the formation of the government at the Centre remains uncertain. Independent candidates, largely supported by the PTI, secured 93 out of the 265 contested National Assembly seats.
Despite this, PTI's main rivals, the PML-N and PPP, seem poised to form a coalition government following their post-election alliance. The PML-N won 75 seats, with the PPP coming in third with 54 seats. The MQM-P has also agreed to support with its 17 seats.
In order to form a government, a party needs to secure 133 seats out of the 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly.
(Inputs from Agencies)
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