ECP takes notice of Imran Khan’s anti-CEC speeches

Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan Thursday has taken notice of PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s allegation that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.

The election commission has also sought the record of Imran Khan’s speech at the PTI workers’ convention in Peshawar from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra).

It is to be noted here that PTI chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan had accused the chief election commissioner of being biased and termed him an agent of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

During his speech, Imran Khan had lashed out at the CEC, calling him a “planted agent” of the PML-N. “Raja has lost all his credibility and he should immediately resign,” he had said. The PTI chairman had also urged his supporters to start a campaign to collect signatures on an online petition against the chief election commissioner.

The former prime minister had said that when the result of the foreign funding case would be announced there would be just one party that would emerge with legal funding and it would be PTI.

Rejecting the allegation of ‘partiality’ being levelled frequently by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders these days, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday made it clear that it was a constitutional body and the decisions it took were in the light of the constitution, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

In its declaration, the ECP regretted that some political leaders were deliberately trying to give the impression, without looking at the facts, that its decisions were not taken collectively, but by an individual. “The fact is that all decisions the ECP has taken since January 2020 are consensual, and there exists complete amity between members of the election commission and the chief election commissioner,” it said, and expressed the resolve that it would continue to give its decisions without any pressure.