Tag: ECP

  • Relationship with military ‘exceptional’, PM Khan assures all good with the army

    Relationship with military ‘exceptional’, PM Khan assures all good with the army

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has once again reiterated that his government’s relationship with the military was ‘exceptional’ and the Opposition’s statements regarding a rift between the government and the military were ‘dead and buried’.

    During a meeting held by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s spokespersons chaired by PM Khan, the premier said that “civil-military relations are unprecedented these days”.

    PM Khan had expressed similar views earlier as well. During an interview with a journalist, the premier was asked about rumours of a possible deal between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the establishment to send PM Khan’s government packing and whether he felt threatened in any way. The PM said he personally was not under any kind of pressure. He added that he enjoyed the support of government allies and expressed confidence that his government would complete its mandated five years.

    During the meeting with his spokespersons, the premier said that the party has presented its funding receipts to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the
    “scrutiny committee has cleared the party of all suspicions.”

    “All other political parties should provide the receipts of their funding too,” demanded PM Khan.

    He further said that out of total funding of Rs310 million, an amount of Rs150 million was shown twice.

    “This [error] will be cleared in the next hearing of the ECP,” PM Khan said.

    “Isn’t Shahbaz Sharif ashamed of himself since he used too many TTs to launder money?” said PM Khan, talking about the electronic method of transferring funds (TTs) for overseas wire transactions.

    The premier talked about the foreign fundings received by other parties and said that the “PML-N should give an account of the billions of rupees of funding it received from overseas sources.”

    Prior to this, deposed Nawaz Sharif directed his party not to let Imran Khan off the hook on the basis of the ECP report, telling them to aggressively agitate the matter and not let both houses of parliament run smoothly till “justice” is done.

  • ‘If law can apply to Nawaz Sharif, why not Imran Niazi?’ Shehbaz demands action against PM

    ‘If law can apply to Nawaz Sharif, why not Imran Niazi?’ Shehbaz demands action against PM

    Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif on Friday demanded legal action and “daily court proceedings” against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    In a series of statements shared by the party’s official Twitter account, “A person who hides facts, steals, and lies, cannot hold constitutional, governmental or political office,” said Shehbaz.

    Shehbaz asked, “if the law can apply to a popular leader like Nawaz Sharif, why not Imran Niazi?”

    “If a Panama Papers JIT can be formed against Nawaz Sharif, and can be overseen by the honourable judges of the Supreme Court (SC), then why can this not be done for Imran Niazi?” he further questioned.

     “Under the Constitution of Pakistan and its laws, “no thief can be a prime minister. Imran Niazi, who has been proven a thief and a liar under the law, must resign,” he added.

     

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president demanded that a probe be initiated against PM Imran Khan and his case be heard on a daily basis — like against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

    He said equal treatment under the Constitution and law is a fundamental principle of Pakistan’s laws and one that must be fulfilled.

    “The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP’s) scrutiny committee has charged Imran Niazi and his party under the law,” he said.

    The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) hid 53 bank accounts and funds worth millions of rupees from the ECP.

    The report of an ECP scrutiny committee probing the party’s funds revealed the following details.

    The committee’s report showed that the PTI had only disclosed 12 out of its 65 accounts, which are registered with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

  • PM Khan wants similar ECP scrutiny on bank accounts and funding of PPP, PMLN

    PM Khan wants similar ECP scrutiny on bank accounts and funding of PPP, PMLN

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Wednesday welcomed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) scrutiny of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) funding, money which he said came through donations from overseas Pakistanis.

    Taking to Twitter, the premier wrote, “I welcome ECP’s scrutiny of PTI’s funding through donations from Overseas Pakistanis. The more our accounts are scrutinised the more factual clarity will emerge for [the] nation to see how PTI is the only political party with proper donor base premised on proper political fundraising.”

    In another tweet, PM Khan said he looked forward to seeing similar ECP scrutiny on funding of the other two major political parties, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    His comments come a day after the report compiled by the scrutiny committee of the ECP noted that the ruling party had received funding from foreign nationals and companies, under-reported funds, and concealed dozens of its bank accounts.

    PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif criticising PM Khan said, “Truth has a strange way of exposing people. The facade of “Sadiq aur Ameen” has been shredded into pieces.”

    PPP Chairman took to Twitter and said, “Tax records reveal @ImranKhanPTI income increased more than 50 times since gaining power. Pakistan has become poorer but Imran is richer.”

  • PTI in trouble? ‘Corrupt, liar, conspiratorial’, Opposition hits out at PM Khan

    PTI in trouble? ‘Corrupt, liar, conspiratorial’, Opposition hits out at PM Khan

    The Opposition has heavily criticised the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan after a scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reported that the party did not disclose millions of rupees worth of funds to the constitutional body.

    Lashing out at the premier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz said Imran Khan had not only “stolen and hidden money, but also plundered the people”.

    Maryam said the “constant leaks, revelations, and evidence, are more than enough to bring down the PTI, including Imran Khan.”

    “Has there been such a corrupt, liar, and conspiratorial ruler like Imran Khan in the history of Pakistan?” she asked.

    PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal during a media briefing said that the scrutiny committee’s report had “washed away Imran Khan’s make up of honesty”.

    “Imran Khan acts as the champion of transparency in the country, but in the foreign funding case, he is making lame excuses to stop the hearing; PTI is resorting to mudslinging to cover its own theft,” he said.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Central Information Secretary Shazia Marri, berating PM Khan tweeted, “Imran Khan talashi do (give yourself up for examination).”

    Meanwhile, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry termed the report “inaccurate” and called for a public comparison of all the parties’ foreign funding so people knew where they all stood.

    Fawad said that there were “two relevant transactions of Rs150m and Rs160m, which had been duplicated and therefore counted twice by the committee”.

    “In the same way, Rs150m transferred from the centre to the provinces from a PTI subsidiary was also counted twice.” He said these facts would be laid before the ECP during arguments in the case.

    The minister said the report showed that the PTI had 26 accounts out of which eight were inactive.

    “Out of the remaining 18 accounts, eight are functional and have transactions and also show funds coming in,” he added.

    He said that 10 of the accounts in question did not actually belong to the PTI, while six were subsidiary accounts, while the party has distanced itself from the remaining four.

    The report compiled by the ECP revealed the party under-reported an amount of Rs312 million over a four-year period, between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Year-wise details show that an amount of over Rs145m was under-reported in 2012-13 alone.

  • ECP accepts apologies of PTI’s Azam Swati, Fawad Chaudhry for their disrespectful comments

    ECP accepts apologies of PTI’s Azam Swati, Fawad Chaudhry for their disrespectful comments

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reportedly accepted the apologies of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Minister for Railways Azam Swati and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry for their remarks against the election body.

    Swati said that the ECP was responsible for destroying Pakistan’s democracy and it should be set on fire. On the other hand, Chaudhry labelled ECP as the mouthpiece of the Opposition. Both ministers later apologised.

    Swati appeared before the ECP, where he was pardoned and warned to exercise caution in the future.

    While questioning his absence from earlier hearings, the ECP inquired, “You are a busy man, why didn’t you appear in previous hearings?”

    Upon this, Swati remarked that he has always advocated for the independence of the ECP.

    “All the institutions are yours; it is not appropriate to talk bad about them,” the ECP remarked.

    Swati expressed gratitude to the ECP for accepting his apology and stated that the commission will make sound judgments regarding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

    In September, the ECP had sent notices to the ministers. In November, Chaudhry appeared before the ECP and apologised. Swati did not show up at that time.

  • PML-N will protest like TLP if govt forces electronic voting

    PML-N will protest like TLP if govt forces electronic voting

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said that if the government tries to force the elections through Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), the party would be left with no option but to follow the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) way of protesting.

    Sanaullah, in a Geo News Programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ stated that the other way to protest is in and outside of Parliament.

    He said, “The current government does not even have an idea of the dynamics of the polling stations and if EVMs were used, the 2023 elections would turn controversial even before they are held.”

    Shahzeb asked Rana that the Opposition can go to court over the EVM issue. To which he replied, “We will go to court. But if nothing happens, we won’t let this election happen at any cost.”

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said it is vital for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold all upcoming by-elections using EVMs. In case the ECP fails to do so, the government will not be able to release funds under the law.

  • ‘All overseas Pakistanis votes shall go to PTI’: Sheikh Rasheed

    ‘All overseas Pakistanis votes shall go to PTI’: Sheikh Rasheed

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Wednesday, while talking to the media, said that all overseas Pakistanis shall be voting for the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and as a result, the Opposition will have a problem with this.

    “40 of Punjab’s and 80 constituencies of the country will be decided by overseas voters,” said Rasheed.

    “Go to court or do whatever you want, the law has been made and elections will be conducted through the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM),” said the minister.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb commenting on EVMs said, “Elections shall not happen through EVM. Elections and electoral reforms can not be carried out in an undemocratic and authoritarian manner.”

    “They [government] could not get biometrics done for the Corona Fund, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and Health Card, now they are talking about elections on EVM?” added Aurangzeb.

    Aurangzeb further criticising the government said, “Parliament gives funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Funds for national resources and institutions are not Imran Khan’s personal estate.”

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘I am the spokesperson of the cabinet, words are not my own’: Fawad Chaudhry apologises to ECP
    
			
    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has apologised to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for his disrespectful remarks against the institution, reports Geo News.
    

    The minister arrived at the ECP today for the hearing before a two-member bench comprising ECP members Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Mohammad Jatoi. During today’s hearing, the minister told members that he is a lawyer himself and does “not want to get caught up in show-cause notices”.
    

    The show-cause notices were sent in October to Fawad over calling ECP an “Opposition’s mouthpiece” and Federal Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati for accusing ECP of always “rigging polls” and his statement that “such institutions should be set on fire”.
    

    However, according to Swati’s co-counsel, he could not appear for the hearing as he was busy with the Senate proceedings and asked for more time, adding that a reply would be filed by tomorrow.
    

    Chaudhry, after the hearing, said, “I am sorry, I apologise for my words.”
    

    “I am the spokesperson of the cabinet. At times, I say things but the words are not my own,” he added while saying that he personally respects the CEC and did not abuse anyone.
    

    The members of the election commission directed Chaudhry to submit his apology in writing and warned that charges would be framed on the next hearing whether a reply was submitted or not and adjourned it to December 3.
    

    Before the show-cause notices, the election commission had issued notices to the two ministers on September 14, asking them to provide evidence about the allegations made by them against ECP and the CEC.
    

    Later, on September 23, Chaudhry had sou­ght six weeks to submit a reply but was given three weeks, which ended on October 19. However, Swati chose not to respond at all to the ECP notice. The ECP had then issued a notice to Chaudhry asking him to appear before it on October 27 but neither of them had turned up for the October 27 hearing, prompting the ECP to issue a show-cause notice for November 16 (today).
    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ’Pre-planned scam’: ECP releases report on by-poll in Daska’s NA-75 constituency
    
			
    ’Pre-planned scam’: ECP releases report on by-poll in Daska’s NA-75 constituency
    
			
    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday released a report on the February by-poll in Daska’s NA-75 constituency.
    

    The report concluded that election officials, police, and the local administration failed to play their “designated role in a requisite manner and were found [to be] puppets in the hands of their unlawful masters” during the by-election, reports Dawn.
    

    A by-poll was held in the constituency in April, with PML-N’s Syeda Nosheen Ifti­khar winning the contest by securing 110,075 votes against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Ali Asjad Malhi, who had bagged 93,433 votes.
    

    “The report — submitted by Punjab Joint Election Commissioner Saeed Gul to the Election Commission of Pakistan secretary — said the statement given by the 20 Presiding Officer (POs) who were forcefully taken to some unknown places invoked the point that … facts were being concealed by the PO.”
    

    “In fact, their manipulated replies in the investigation of [them] being taken to unknown places and any interaction or forceful approach by someone further aired the suspicion that they were vindicated or backed up by someone,” the report says.
    

    “Statement of SAPOs exposed that one PO willingly took the tamper-evident bag with him in a shopping bag.”
    

    “Circumstantial evidence, written statements of some POs, SAPOs, most of the drivers and very few of the police personnel and CDR data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority clearly prove that aforesaid POs, under some planned scheme, left their respective polling stations in private vehicles and reached Sialkot by staying first at Qila Kalar Wala Police Station/ Satra Police Station, office of the DSP, Pasrur, and Mundeke, etc. around after nearly 08:30pm,” read the report.
    

    “They remained at some unknown building situated at Shahabpura/Ugoke Road near Zohra Hospital [in Sialkot] for more than seven hours and after that, they were transported in the police security to [the] office of the RO at Jaisarwala,” it said.
    

    “Before reaching their destination, all the POs were shifted in police vans from a Toyota Hiace.”
    

    The inquiry also found that 17 POs had requested an exemption from by-election duties. When the requests were scrutinised, “it was surprisingly revealed that handwriting on all TCS (Tranzum Courier Service) envelopes [containing the requests] was same that created further doubts”.
    

    “In light of the afore-described facts, it can be conclusively determined that the activities of POs were suspicious, they became puppets in the hands of their controlling authority and even the replies submitted by them in response to the allegations of this maligned act were completely stereotyped and deceptive,” it concluded. “Hence, the role of presiding officers carries an obvious proportion in the whole conspiracy that [made] the by-election a dead duck.”
    

    “These disclosed facts convincingly take us to the point that [the] mishap in the by-election not just involves the negligence or maladministration of the POs. It was a preplanned scam that could not be possible without the reinforcement from their controlling departments while they also paved the path for other persons’ involvement in this wicked game,” the report said.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘You people do not stand together on any issue’: PM Khan shows anger for disunity among PTI leaders
    
			
    ‘You people do not stand together on any issue’: PM Khan shows anger for disunity among PTI leaders
    
			
    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday complained to the members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that they “do not stand together on any issue”, reports Geo News.
    

    The prime minister reportedly expressed displeasure over the ‘grilling’ of two federal ministers Fawad Chaudhry and Azam Swati by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and directed other leaders of the ruling PTI to stand by them on the matter. The premier seemed angry over the “disunity” among the PTI leaders.
    

    The premier told them all to “speak the same language” on national and political issues.
    

    The prime minister, however, barred PTI leaders from commenting on the government’s latest deal with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
    

    He expressed these views while presiding over PTI’s core committee meeting, which was held a day after the government signed a secret deal with the TLP.