“Anyone can make accusations, but it is necessary to support them with evidence,” says the senior judge
- CJP Isa claims that his role was limited only to facilitating the conduct of the elections.
- “They make unfounded accusations. They are not true and no evidence is presented.”
- The top judge questions his and the high court's connection to the polls.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Saturday demanded proof of his involvement in rigging the February 8 elections after Rawalpindi Division Commissioner Liaqat Ali Chatha leveled serious allegations against the chief judge and other authorities.
“You make unfounded accusations. There is no truth to it and no evidence is presented. You can make accusations as much as you want, that is your right, but present evidence to support it. Whether it is good or bad will be determined later,” he said the boss. the judge said in reaction to today's dramatic event.
He went on to say that his role was limited only to facilitating the holding of elections.
“If someone doesn't want elections, that's another story,” he said.
The CJP questioned its and the high court's connection with the polls, saying the court only receives and decides petitions related to elections.
The CJP said the high court did not order the elections; instead, it asked both constitutional authorities (the president and the electoral commission) to organize the elections after reaching a consensus on the date.
The commissioner's accusations are “unfounded”: Marriyum
Addressing a press conference, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said the commissioner's name should be included in the Exit Control List (ECL) immediately.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that anarchy and chaos do not ensue in the country,” Aurangzeb said, while criticizing the commissioner for his “baseless” allegations.
He pointed out that a commissioner is neither a returning officer nor a district returning officer, the two crucial officials who are responsible for consolidating results.
“The commissioner will not have any authority giving him access to the preparation of election results,” he said, calling for Chatha to be given strict punishment if his allegations are proven false.
He recalled that “no candidate won with an advantage of 50,000 votes,” according to the commissioner. Aurangzeb wondered where the senior official was for the last eight days and who he met to “create awareness”.
“We demand that their activities during these eight days be investigated,” he said, stating that there is a whole group that does not want stability in the country.
Chatha, earlier in the day, tendered his resignation, which he said was out of “guilty conscience” for inciting large-scale electoral fraud in the garrison city, further raising the political mercury in the country.
At a press conference at the Rawalpindi cricket stadium, the official announced that he would resign from his position, admitting that he had committed an injustice to the people of his city.
The commissioner, in the rare press conference, took responsibility for the “rigging” that he claimed took place in Rawalpindi division. “We turned the losers into winners with a margin of 50,000 votes,” he said, turning himself in before the authorities.
“I apologize to my division's tellers,” he said, adding that his subordinates were crying over what they were ordered to do.
Chatha claimed that even today, election staff place fake stamps on ballot papers. “We have harmed the country […] He should be executed at Kachehri Chowk in Rawalpindi,” he lamented.
Emphasizing that he was under pressure from social media and overseas Pakistanis, the official revealed that he even attempted suicide this morning.
“It is not known who commits these crimes and who is behind them. 13 candidates for the National Assembly, who were losing, won by a margin of up to 70,000 votes,” he added.
Rawalpindi Division has 13 seats in the National Assembly, in which 11 Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates were successful, while the rest were secured by an independent candidate and the Pakistan People's Party ( PPP). The division also has 27 provincial seats, of which the PML-N won 15 and 11 independent seats.
The claims made by Chatta were rejected by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and received severe criticism from the PML-N and the Punjab government. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf welcomed the development and Pakistan People's Party demanded an investigation into the matter.
