Tag: CEC

  • ‘Name them’: Marriyum challenges Khan to name agencies that briefed him on PPP, PML-N’s corruption

    ‘Name them’: Marriyum challenges Khan to name agencies that briefed him on PPP, PML-N’s corruption

    Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday challenged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to name the agencies and the people working in them who he claimed had briefed him on the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) alleged corruption.

    Addressing a news conference today, the minister said, “Who used to give you these reports? Who used to tell you all these things? Name them.”

    The information minister recalled that Khan had earlier said that the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja was done after he was given guarantee of his neutrality.

    “You said the agency had given you guarantees about the CEC […] who had given you the guarantees? What did they say? And why were you receiving guarantees?”

    “Did you ask for those reports? And who from the agencies gave you reports?”

    “Imran Khan sahab, stop this drama and lies. If you have the courage, tell us who from what agency used to give you reports on PPP and PML-N […],” she demanded.

    “You slung mud on other people, and you say the agencies were giving you briefings? Do you have any shame?” she questioned. “You made a joke of such a big country’s democracy. Do you think your sins will be forgiven if you say agencies were giving you briefings? Then take their names.”

    Aurangzeb alleged that after the no-confidence vote, Imran “begged the neutrals to protect him”.

    “But when the institutions played the role of neutrals, which is a line sketched by the Constitution […] you are now, once again, asking them to help you and save your false politics”.

    Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday, August 18, wondered about the role of the ‘establishment’ in curbing corruption, saying he always thought that ‘establishment’ was against corrupt rulers.

    “Why did you let these corrupt leaders imposed upon the country when you yourself [establishment] would say that they are corrupt,” added Khan.

    He also revealed that agencies had informed him about the corruption scandals of incumbent rulers when he was the prime minister. Imran also reiterated that attempts were being made to disqualify him and bring back Nawaz Sharif, who was disqualified for life by the Supreme Court, from London to put both of them in the same position.

  • ‘Name the neutrals, have some courage’: PML-N’s Malik Ahmad challenges Imran Khan

    ‘Name the neutrals, have some courage’: PML-N’s Malik Ahmad challenges Imran Khan

    Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) leader Malik Ahmad Khan challenged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and said that he should show some courage and name the neutral who gave him the guarantee that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja will remain neutral.

    “You [Imran Khan] said that the neutral said to you that they take to guarantee that CEC will remain neutral. Now name the neutral if you have the courage to do so. Did Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa say this to you or your DG ISI General Faiz Hameed? Have some audacity and courage and name him. You claim to be a fighter, then name the person who said this to you.”

    “Show some courage and take names,” said Malik Ahmad to Imran Khan.

    Malik Ahmad’s comments came after the PTI chairman’s recent interview on Express News.

    Talking about CEC Raja, the former prime minister said that the neutrals guaranteed that the new ECP chief would remain neutral.

    “We were in a deadlock situation, that’s when the neutrals approached us and said that they will provide us with a candidate for the position of election commissioner and no will oppose him. We agreed to it. It was the neutrals who suggested Sikander Sultan’s name, I didn’t even know him. The moment his [Sikander Sutan Raja’s] name came out, people told us he is associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz [PML-N],” said the PTI chairman.

    “I approached the neutrals again and told them that he is associated with the PML-N, to which they said we take guarantee of him that he will remain neutral,” said Imran Khan, adding that we made a huge mistake.

  • ECP ‘cowering in fear’: Khan calls supporters to join protest against chief election commissioner

    ECP ‘cowering in fear’: Khan calls supporters to join protest against chief election commissioner

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has urged his supporters to come out for a “peaceful” protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which is set to take place in Islamabad today (Thursday).

    “Today I am calling all our people to come out in peaceful public protest against CEC and ECP in F9 Park at 6 pm. I will be addressing the gathering between 7:00 – 7:30 pm.”

    “CEC & ECP in cahoots with Imported govt conspired to try a technical knockout against PTI after PMLN got routed in Punjab by-elections despite the support of entire state machinery & ECP shenanigans. Now they are cowering in fear abt same happening to entire PDM in General Elections,” tweeted former prime minister Imran Khan.

    PTI withdraws reference to remove ECP chief

    PTI has withdrawn its reference against CEC Raja minutes after it was submitted in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).

    According to media reports, the reference was withdrawn to highlight further legal aspects. The party will also include the demand for reconsideration of the ECP verdict in the prohibited funding case.

    The reference was taken back from the registrar’s office.

    The reference sought to remove CEC Raja from his post on account of the “commission of continuous and deliberate misconduct”.

    Earlier in the day, the party filed a reference in which the former ruling party alleged that Raja was pressurised to announce the verdict on PTI’s foreign funding case.

    The party alleged that after a meeting between the CEC and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders, the ECP announced its foreign funding verdict.

    Speaking to the media after the reference was taken back, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry warned the government that if they pull any stunt in the federal capital, then the PTI-led governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab will fill their prisons with PDM leaders and its allies, reports Samaa News.

    Red Zone sealed

    Ahead of the PTI protest today, Islamabad’s district administration has sealed the Red Zone and placed containers at the entry points of the city.

    Entry into the Red Zone is banned for protesters and all unconcerned people. Personnel of law enforcement agencies including Anti-Riot Force, Rangers, FC and police have been deployed around the Red Zone. Entrance will be allowed only through the Margalla Road.

    Read more – After Punjab, KPK assembly also approves motion against ECP chief

    Earlier this week, PTI Chairman Imran Khan announced a “peaceful” protest outside the ECP. The party has repeatedly demanded the resignation of ECP Chief Sikandar Sultan Raja.

    ‘If someone tries to enter the Red Zone area, they shouldn’t complain about the consequences’: Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah warned PTI of strict action against those who try to enter the Red Zone.

    He said that the PTI can attack the election commission; however, they should remember that the Islamabad High Court has imposed restrictions on staging protests in the Red Zone.

    “Protests are strictly prohibited in the Red Zone and if someone tries to enter the area, they shouldn’t complain about the consequences of their actions later,” he said.

    Rana Sanaullah added that there are some selected venues where the PTI can stage a “peaceful protest as it was everybody’s right in the democratic era”.

  • PTI foreign funding case: ECP says PTI received prohibited funds

    PTI foreign funding case: ECP says PTI received prohibited funds

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in its verdict on Tuesday unanimously ruled that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did indeed receive prohibited funding and issued a show-cause notice to the party.

    A three-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja announced the verdict in a case filed by PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar. Akbar filed the case on November 14, 2014. The verdict was reserved on June 21.

    The ECP said that the party, in violation of the Constitution, had received funds from 34 foreign entities. The party received funds from the United States, Australia, and the UAE. The ECP added that 13 unidentified accounts also surfaced during the probe in the PTI funding case.

    It says that PTI Chairman Imran Khan submitted a false Nomination Form I. The PTI chairman kept accounts hidden, which the ECP said is a violation of the Constitution, and the affidavit provided regarding party accounts was also false.

    The commission noted that “the party knowingly and willfully received funding from Wootton Cricket Limited, operated by business tycoon Arif Naqvi. The party was a willing recipient of prohibited money of $2,121,500”.

    ECP Verdict on PTI’s foreign funding case is attached below;

    ECP-VERDICTDownload

    The ECP said that the party knowingly and willfully also received donations from Bristol Engineering Services (a UAE-based company), E-Planet Trustees (a Cayman Island private registered company), SS Marketing Manchester (a UK-based private company), PTI USA LLC-6160, and PTI USA LLC-5975 which were hit by prohibition and in violation of Pakistani laws.

    The ECP went on to say that the party had only owned eight accounts before the commission and declared 13 accounts to be unknown. “The data obtained from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reveals that all the 13 accounts disowned by the PTI were opened and operated by senior PTI management and leadership at [a] central and provincial level.”

    The PTI chairman submitted Form-I for five years (between 2008-2013), which was found to be “grossly inaccurate on the basis of the financial statements obtained by this commission from SBP and other material available on record”.

    “Imran Khan for the five years under review has filed submissions that were grossly inaccurate and wrong. Even during the course of scrutiny and hearing by this commission, the PTI continued to conceal and withhold complete and full disclosure of [the] source of its funds.”

    The demand for an announcement of the verdict in this important case increased following an explosive story by the Financial Times, revealing the sources of funding of the PTI.

    Read more: PTI foreign funding case: New revelations in Financial Times spark another controversy

    Khan persistently has been demanding CEC Raja’s resignation, accusing him of being biased towards the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    Read more: What did Bushra Bibi and Khan do after losing the no-confidence motion? Imran reveals all

    Addressing his party members at PTI’s national council meeting in Islamabad on August 1, Khan called for a protest outside the ECP office in Islamabad on Thursday, August 4, to demand CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja’s resignation.

    PTI foreign funding case: ECP to announce verdict tomorrow

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced that its verdict on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s foreign funding case will be announced tomorrow (Tuesday, August 2) at 10am.

    Earlier it was reported by Daily Jang that after eight years ECP might announce its verdict this week in the PTI foreign funding case.

    ECP officials revealed that the investigations into international money-laundering have been completed.

    “PTI is only harming itself by filing a judicial reference against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja,” said ECP officials. They said that during the hearing of this judicial reference, certain matters that were earlier “hidden from public view would be revealed”. They further claimed that the judicial reference against the Election Commission of Pakistan and the CEC “is an attempt to create a smoke screen ahead of the verdict” by “blackmailers” who are part of an international money-laundering ring.

    The officials further said that ECP will not bow to any “blackmailing and will not come under any pressure”, clarifying that the ECP has no bias toward any political party.

    The development has come forward after an investigative report published in Financial Times revealed new details about PTI’s foreign funding.

    After the FT report, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the coalition government, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), met ECP officials and urged them to release the verdict on the foreign funding case.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has also repeatedly urged the ECP to announce its verdict in the long-delayed case.

  • What did Bushra Bibi and Khan do after losing no-confidence motion? Imran reveals all

    What did Bushra Bibi and Khan do after losing no-confidence motion? Imran reveals all

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has revealed that a day after losing the no-confidence motion, he and Bushra Bibi decided to rest and watch a movie. “In the evening, we were watching a movie when I saw on my phone that the public is out on the roads”.

    Addressing his party members at PTI’s national council meeting in Islamabad, he said seeing the public made him happy. He further said that being PM was extremely difficult as every other day some new issue pops up and that he did not take a day off while he was in office.

    Protest on Aug 4

    Khan has called for a protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office in Islamabad on Thursday (August 4) to demand Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja’s resignation.

    The former prime minister said that he wanted electronic voting machines (EVMs) for free and fair elections, accusing “CEC Sikandar Raja of sabotaging them in every way possible.”

    He said that during the recently-held Punjab by-polls, his party’s biggest concern was rigging but “despite multiple attempts, it emerged victorious”.

    The PTI chairman also claimed that the government has lost its credibility both nationally and internationally. “It has fallen to an extent that the army chief has to now request for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan. Can you imagine?”

    He was referring to the reports of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa reaching out to US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman last week for help in securing an early loan dispersal from IMF.

  • PM Shehbaz urges ECP to announce ruling on PTI foreign funding case

    PM Shehbaz urges ECP to announce ruling on PTI foreign funding case

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce the “long-delayed judgment” in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) foreign funding case.

    The premier took to Twitter today, urging the ECP to give the verdict in PTI’s foreign funding case, which was reserved on June 21.

    “I urge the Election Commission of Pakistan to announce the long-delayed judgment on PTI foreign funding case,” said the PM.

    The prime minister said that for long, Imran Khan has been given a free pass despite his “repeated & shameless attacks on state institutions”.

    “Impunity given to him has hurt the country,” added PM Shehbaz.

    The ECP reserved the verdict in the case nearly a month ago on June 21, following a hearing by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja.

    On Monday, PTI Chairman Imran Khan criticised the ECP for being biased and demanded CEC Sultan Raja’s resignation over his alleged favouring of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    “We have no confidence in this Chief Election Commissioner, he should resign. He conducted the Senate election, the Supreme Court allowed him to verify the Senate vote, the Election Commission and all political parties know that money runs in the secret Senate polls but this Election Commissioner did not follow it,” said Khan.

    “The biggest regret I have in the Punjab by-elections is on the Chief Election Commissioner as he has done dishonesty, there is no merit in him, it was found that typing mistake took place and four million people were shown dead. Had this happened elsewhere in the world, he would have resigned. We had eight cases with which we went to the Election Commission and it rejected them while the courts gave verdicts against it, which means the ECP deliberately gave decisions against us,” claimed Khan.

  • ECP says PTI MNAs who ditched PTI can’t be disqualified

    ECP says PTI MNAs who ditched PTI can’t be disqualified

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday dismissed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) references seeking the disqualification of its dissident members of the National Assembly (NA).

    A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja reserved its decision after hearing arguments from all sides — the PTI and the lawyers of the dissident MNAs.

    The ECP stated that the declarations by the PTI against its lawmakers were not found to be in accordance with the Constitution.

    PTI’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry requested the court to provide a copy of the reserved verdict, saying that he will appeal against it.

    While presenting his arguments, Noor Alam Khan’s lawyer Gohar Khan maintained that Article 63(A)1 does not apply to Noor.

    “The show-cause notice issued by the PTI secretary-general doesn’t have legal status. Therefore, Noor is still a PTI member,” Gohar argued, adding that the show-cause notice issued by the secretary-general was nothing more than a piece of paper as per the law. He maintained that as per the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling, ECP’s full-court bench can give its verdict in the disqualification reference.

    The PTI filed references against 20 MNAs seeking their disqualification under Article 63-A of the Constitution ahead of the no-trust vote against then-premier Imran Khan.

  • ‘Unconstitutional’: What else did the Supreme Court say?

    ‘Unconstitutional’: What else did the Supreme Court say?

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) has declared the National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s ruling on the dismissal of no-confidence motion against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan as unconstitutional and illegal.

    The session chaired by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and the five-member bench has unanimously ruled that President Dr Arif Alvi’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly is “illegal” and restored Imran Khan as Prime Minister as well as his cabinet ministers. They will now face the no-confidence motion on Saturday April 9th 2022.

    “The deputy speaker gave a ruling on April 3. Leave was granted on the no-confidence motion on March 28. The ruling of the speaker is declared unconstitutional,” Justice Bandial declared.

    Chief Justice Bandial also said the verdict was announced with an unanimous agreement of 5-0 after the judges consulted each other.

    The apex court has also ordered a lower house session to vote on no-trust against PM Khan on April 9th, 2022 [Saturday] at 10 am, saying that the session cannot be adjourned without the conclusion of the no-trust motion and the government cannot interfere in the participation of any Member of National Assembly in the assembly session.

    Ahead of the verdict, SC summoned Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja. Prior to the verdict, PM Khan called a party meeting at Banigala.

    The short order by the SC is as follows: