Pak senators decry alleged rigging in Feb 8 polls
Berate CEC for his ‘failure’ to ensure transparency
A number of Pakistan senators in the upper house of Parliament yesterday decried alleged rigging in the February 8 elections and berated Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja for his "failure" to ensure transparency in the polls.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmed demanded CEC Raja to step down from his position over the failure to hold transparent polls.
The JI senator, while addressing a Senate session in Islamabad, said the elections were fake and they would procreate a fake government. During the session, a number of senators also raised concerns regarding allegations of polls rigging.
Levelling serious allegations against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Mushtaq said the electoral body committed treason for which it should seek an apology from the nation.
"A legal proceeding should be carried out against the CEC under Article 6 of the constitution, for the ECP was given Rs50 billion from the national exchequer but it failed to hold transparent polls," he alleged.
The senator also rebuked the authorities over the suspension of social media platform, X, saying that it inflicted economic and educational damage as well as it was tantamount to robbing people's rights.
Imran Khan's PTI yesterday also demanded that CEC Raja immediately resign, saying that the CEC failed to hold elections in a free, fair and transparent manner.
Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that he foresees a stalemate in government formation "if someone is not ready to change their stance".