Liaquat Ali Chattha said “stabbing the country in the back” kept him awake. (document)
Islamabad:
Pakistan’s chief election commissioner and chief justice were involved in electoral fraud in recent elections, a senior official said on Saturday, resigning and taking “responsibility for all such misconduct”.
Former Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha’s comments came as jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party -e-Insaf) began nationwide protests against alleged manipulation and theft of its mandate in the February 8 election.
Liaquat Ali Chatta told reporters at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium that the candidate who “lost” the election was “destined to win”.
“I take responsibility for all these wrongdoings and let you know that the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Justice are also fully involved,” Dawn quoted him as saying.
Liaquat Ali Chattha resigned after “taking responsibility” for rigging the poll results, the statement said.
Liaquat Ali Chattha said “stabbing the country in the back” kept him awake.
“I should be punished for the injustice I did, and so should everyone else who participated in this injustice,” he said.
The former official said he faced “pressure” and briefly considered suicide, but later decided to speak to the public about the matter.
“I ask the entire bureaucracy not to do anything wrong for all these politicians,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has strongly denied Chatta’s allegations against the Chief Election Commissioner.
In a press statement, the Election Commission of Pakistan said, “The Election Commission of Pakistan strongly rejects the allegations leveled by the Rawalpindi Commissioner against the Chief Election Commissioner or the Election Commission. At no time did any official of the Election Commission issue any instructions to change the election results.” . Commissioner Rawalpindi.
“No commissioner of any department has been appointed as DRO, RO or presiding officer nor did they play a direct role in the electoral process.” However, it said the matter would be investigated.
Earlier, Punjab’s caretaker information minister Aamir Mir also “denied” the accusation that Liaquat Ali Chatta had manipulated the election results.
Speaking to Geo News, he said Liaquat Ali Chatta “did not present any evidence” for the alleged tampering of poll results.
Noting that the commissioner will retire on March 13, Mir said: “I think he is trying to start his political career after retirement.” The Democratic Alliance (GDA) and others also complained of fraud during the election.
Independent candidates – mostly backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party – won 93 of the 265 National Assembly seats up for grabs in the February 8 election.
However, after the formation of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the two parties of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Two major rivals appear to be forming a coalition government. Vote Alliance on Tuesday.
PML-N won 75 seats, while the PPP came in third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) also agreed to support them with its 17 seats.
To form a government, a party must win 133 of the 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
