On Saturday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party escalated its grievances by submitting a formal complaint to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and other members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The former ruling party accused these officials of misconduct in handling the February 8 general election and called for a comprehensive inquiry into their actions.
The detailed 29-page complaint, which was obtained by Geo News, was filed by PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan through his legal counsel, Barrister Ali Zafar. The respondents named in the complaint included CEC Raja, and ECP members Babar Hassan Bharwana from Punjab, Nisar Ahmed Durrani from Sindh, Shah Muhammad Jatoi from Balochistan, and Justice (retd) Ikramullah Khan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The PTI’s complaint requested the SJC to investigate the alleged misconduct and report to the president for the immediate removal of the CEC and ECP members if they are found guilty of failing to perform their duties. The opposition party argued that the electoral body had not fulfilled its constitutional mandate to conduct elections in an honest, just, and fair manner as required by the law.
The complaint highlighted several specific grievances, including the ECP’s alleged failure to conduct the National Assembly and provincial assembly elections in Punjab and KP within the constitutionally mandated 90-day period as outlined in Article 224. PTI accused the ECP of deliberately ignoring this constitutional duty and of defying Supreme Court judgments dated March 1, 2023, and April 4, 2023, which directed the ECP to hold elections within the specified timeframe.
During the 2024 polls, the PTI claimed that its polling agents were denied access to polling stations in multiple constituencies, with some polling camps even being dismantled. The party also accused the ECP of failing to release election results in accordance with legal requirements and turning a blind eye to pre-poll rigging activities.
Furthermore, the PTI alleged that its members were coerced into changing their political allegiances through press conferences, actions which the party argued amounted to blatant pre-poll rigging. Despite these allegations, the ECP reportedly took no action. The complaint also stated that the PTI was obstructed from running its election campaign, with nomination papers being “snatched” from PTI candidates and workers being “abducted.” Additionally, a media ban was allegedly imposed on PTI coverage, which the ECP did not address.
Post-election, the PTI contended that Form 45, crucial for transparency in election results, was not provided to media and polling agents. The party also accused the ECP of politically motivated deployments of returning officers (ROs) to manipulate election outcomes.
The PTI’s complaint went further to allege that the ECP not only excluded the party from the general elections but also deprived it of reserved seats for women and minorities. The party accused the ECP of becoming a biased participant in court proceedings, leading to significant damage to PTI’s electoral prospects, including the loss of its iconic ‘bat’ symbol.
In summary, the PTI’s extensive complaint demanded the immediate removal of the top officers of the ECP due to what it described as serious allegations of misconduct involving pre-poll, poll day, and post-poll rigging. The former ruling party called for accountability and urged the SJC to address the unconstitutional actions of the ECP.
