ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has petitioned Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa to take suo moto notice of the suspected election cheating, The News reported Sunday.
In a letter to the CJP, PTI spokesperson Shoaib Shaheen requested the apex judge’s action on alleged rigging in the NA-47 and NA-48 constituencies, which he believes will be the first drop of rain for the supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law, ensuring fundamental rights, and promoting democracy in the country.
The February 8 polls have been characterized by charges of manipulation, with the PTI, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), and others protesting about fraudulent results.
A day earlier, Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha made alarming discoveries about facilitating large-scale vote cheating while leveling severe claims against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
“We turned the losers into winners by 50,000 votes,” he stated during a press conference at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium before resigning and surrendering to authorities.
CJP Isa responded to the claims by demanding evidence of his role in the manipulation of the February 8 elections.
“You make bogus allegations. The chief judge declared in a statement that there is no truth to it and no evidence has been offered.
Shaheen, in his letter to the chief justice, described the specifics of alleged rigging in the NA-47 constituency, underlining that according Form 45, he secured 104,578 votes to win by a margin of 53,000 votes.
However, he emphasized that in Form 47, he was deemed invalid with only 86,794 votes, while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Tariq Fazal Chaudhry was pronounced victorious with 101,397 votes.
“Although I had secured the lead with 104,577 votes according to Form 45, while the said candidate got only 51,613 votes,” Shaheen maintained, adding that the same form is kept by all 45 contenders, including Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Kashif Chaudhary, Hafiz Khawar Ikhlas, and others.
“After checking Form 45, it should be commanded to issue Form 47 and the final result and notification in light thereof, and it should also be ordered that the person providing or using the tampered document will go to jail, and this exercise can be done in only three days,” he said.
Furthermore, he stated that this verification can be completed by any district or session judge, with the assistance of additional sessions judges and senior civil justices.
Lamenting that there are doubts about the enforcement of basic human rights, particularly the sanctity and honour of the vote, where billions of rupees have been spent on elections, he said: “The right to vote has become a mere spectacle among common citizens, and if this is not addressed in time, anarchy will spread inside Pakistan,” the PTI leader concluded.
