F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan has rejected baseless allegations against it, the Chief Election Commissioner and ECP members being leveled by certain individuals and interest groups.
In a statement on Monday, the ECP Spokesperson said these allegations are being used to spread misleading information.
The Spokesperson clarified that ECP, the Chief Election Commissioner, and members of the Commission make all decisions strictly in strict accordance with the Constitution and the law, without considering any personal interests or external pressures. The Election Commission is not, and will not be, influenced by any form of coercion or undue influence.
The Spokesperson said some recent comments regarding a meeting between the Chief Election Commissioner and the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly have been made contrary to the facts. It is not unusual for constitutional and administrative officers to meet with the Election Commission on official matters.
In this regard, the Chief Election Commissioner has held several meetings with the former President of Pakistan Arif Alvi, including matters such as Electronic Voting Machines and Internet Voting, which fell outside the constitutional scope of the President.
Personally, the Chief Election Commissioner has also met with several leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, including Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, former General Secretary Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, at their request.
Similarly, meetings had been held between the Chief Election Commissioner and former Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar at the Chief Minister’s office concerning official matters. It should be noted that Members of the Election Commission routinely meet with other Chief Ministers and senior officials to fulfill their official responsibilities.
Therefore, it is essential to assess whether such engagements which considerable were acceptable at that time and are now being incorrectly portrayed for the purpose of propaganda.
The Spokesperson further said no ECP official has ever met with any individual or political figure in a personal capacity or for personal matters. It is entirely within the regulations for political leaders and political parties to engage with the Election Commission on official matters which has been the practice.
Regarding the recent allegation by Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza, claiming that the Returning Officer did not declare him as a candidate of the Sunni Ittehad Council, it is necessary to clarify the facts.
The nomination papers submitted by Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza listed his affiliation with the “Sunni Ittehad Council Alliance PTI.” However, under Section 215(2) of the Elections Act and Rule 162(2), neither PTI nor Sunni Ittehad Council had applied to the Election Commission for the recognition of an alliance, nor had they requested a common election symbol.
The declaration submitted with Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza’s nomination papers indicated his affiliation with PTI-N, and no ticket from the aforementioned party was attached. Therefore, the Returning Officer issued him the symbol “Minar” as an independent candidate in accordance with the law.
The spokesperson said if Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza’s claim were genuine, he would have submitted his party’s ticket with the nomination papers, clearly stating his association with the Sunni Ittehad Council.
Additionally, when the Election Commission inquired with the Sunni Ittehad Council about the number of female candidates nominated under Section 206 of the Elections Act, Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza formally notified the Commission, in writing, that no candidates contested the 2024 General Election on the Sunni Ittehad Council’s ticket. Therefore, the issue of submitting a list of female candidates did not arise.
