ISLAMABAD: Former leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Fawad Chaudhry, declared on Monday that his organization will abstain from the forthcoming general elections, which are scheduled for February 8.
The lawmaker, who was running for seats in the National Assembly from Jehlum, bemoaned the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) performance in a letter that it sent.
In the letter, which his brother and attorney Faisal Chaudhry released on X, formerly Twitter, Fawad said, “The Election Commission has miserably failed in performing its duties.”
According to Faisal, Fawad and his organization “have boycotted the ‘fake elections.'”
The lawmaker announced that he and his group would conduct a “complete boycott” of the elections in his letter, which discussed the political victimization that was taking place.
Fawad declared: “I was arrested to withdraw from the election.” Fawad filed nomination papers for the NA-60 and NA-61 seats from Jehlum. Our employees were detained and threatened.”
He continued: “Our nomination papers were rejected without justification.”
He also expressed dissatisfaction in the letter to ECP on the fact that, despite having his paperwork certified to run for office, his brother Faisal Chaudhry was named as a co-accused in the National Accountability Bureau case.
More than that, the politician asked what the impending elections would imply in a context in which he saw “no choice”.
Fawad was taken into custody from his home in November of last year on suspicion of wrongdoing.
Fawad was arrested by NAB on December 16 in connection with a corruption investigation. Following the signing of an arrest warrant by the Chairman of the anti-graft committee, Lt-Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed Butt, Fawad was taken into prison from Adiala jail, where he was being held in connection with a fraud case.
The former federal minister was physically remanded to the NAB for ten days on December 20. On December 30, Fawad was brought before the court following the conclusion of the remand.
NAB Prosecutor Irfan Bhola informed the court during the proceedings that the former PTI leader was being questioned and was providing information about purported violations.
His physical remand was later extended by the court for an additional six days.
The court then gave him physical remand in a corruption case involving Jhelum development projects a four-day extension.
In a contempt case against the election board and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, he was also charged earlier this month.
Politico was accused of making impolite, disrespectful, and unparliamentary remarks against the ECP on multiple occasions, according to the ECP notification.
