ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, on Monday urged judicial commission to initially reopen 70 constituencies to investigate vote-rigging in 2013 elections. Imran Khan said he will soon make important revelation regarding election rigging. He said if the responsible of the election rigging would not be pointed out then it would be impossible to make electoral process free, fair and transparent.
Imran Khan said this while speaking to media after attending hearing of three-member judicial panel, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, seized with investigating alleged malpractice in last general elections.
Khan said he supported Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) counsel Senator Aitzaz Ahsan’s viewpoint which he presented before the commission that 70 constituencies could initially be reopened for investigation.
“The evidence of rigging is in bags. Aitzaz Ahsan is right in demanding that 70 seats should be reopened… If you have nothing to hide give the go ahead to investigate bags,” he said.
The PTI chief said he had urged the commission to also investigate role of provincial election commission heads. “Twenty-one political parties have said it with one voice that there was a scientific and deliberate rigging. Listen to Nawaz Sharif’s statement yourselves, he said rigging happened in Haripur,” Khan said.
Khan questioned who directed printing of one crore ballot papers. “Why one crore extra ballot papers were printed? Who got them done and who took the decisions? This must be investigated,” he said.
About rescue and relief activities in KPK, where at least 45 people died in rain-related incidents, Khan said he had directed authorities to carry out ‘speedy operations’ to provide relief to affectees.
“I have instructed KP government to take full care of rain victims and expedite operations. My wife has gone to visit patients in Lady Reading hospital… I urge the government to compensate wheat farmers whose fields have seen devastation after this calamity,” he said.
Imran Khan said that it would only take one week if a special investigation team reopens ballot bags to examine them for alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections.
“The special investigation team, which is part of the ordinance and which the Supreme Court can form, it will only take one week for the SIT to check the ballot bags. All the evidence is present inside the ballot bags,” the PTI chairman said.
Imran claimed that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) could not have received seven million additional votes, and that the matter should be investigated.
The PTI chief reiterated his party’s stance that over ten million excess ballot papers had been printed in the days preceding the May 2013 election.
Those responsible for ordering excess ballot papers to be printed will also be unmasked, he said.
Imran said the JC should also probe the role of provincial election commissioners, who he claimed had been appointed after an undisclosed agreement between the political parties.
The PTI chairman claimed that the PML-N lawyer was attempting to influence the judicial commission’s proceedings by trying to show that the judiciary was being targeted by the investigation.
“Just because one judge committed one wrong does not mean the entire judiciary is complicit, just the way that if one army general commits a wrong means the entire army is blame. This is a plan to influence the judiciary and stop the investigation,” he said.
When asked by a reporter why the PTI had not included the name of former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary in its list of witnesses, Imran said that he was referring to returning officers. “Bigger names will be unveiled as the match progresses,” he said.
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