• Party lawmakers march from NA to ECP office, demand CEC’s resignation
• Asad claims May 9 situation was created deliberately, says no talks underway with govt
• Raoof urges CJP to take notice of Zubair’s claims
that Bajwa derailed PTI govt

ISLAMABAD: PTI parliamentarians marched from the National Assem­bly to the Election Comm­ission of Pakistan (ECP) office on Saturday, criticising the election body for allegedly failing to conduct free and fair elections and calling for the resignations of the Chief Election Commissioner and other ECP officials.

Speaking to the media, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, asserted that the ECP had only one job: to hold free and fair elections, a task he claimed the body had failed to fulfil.

“We demand that the CEC and other members resign as they have even failed to utilise the budget allocated for elections,” Mr Ayub stated.

Former speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser, alleged that a situation was deliberately created on May 9 last year to initiate operations against the PTI.

He said that despite the PTI founding chairman’s approval for negotiations with the government, no talks were taking place. He also lamented that the PTI’s voice was not being heard in parliament.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan highlighted the challenges faced by the opposition, including alleged obstruction in the courts and the ongoing detention of former premier Imran Khan.

MNA Zartaj Gul said it was unfortunate that her voice was being ignored in parliament.

Commission sought over Zubair’s interview

Meanwhile, PTI leader Raoof Hasan urged the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of an interview of former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair.

In the interview, Mr Zu­­bair claimed that retired general Qamar Javed Bajwa was behind a conspiracy to derail the PTI government.

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Mr Hasan demanded the formation of a judicial commission to investigate these allegations, noting that Imran Khan had made similar claims. He criticised Mr Bajwa, accusing him of violating his oath to remain apolitical.

He also questioned the legitimacy of statements made by a federal minister suggesting that the public wanted Imran Khan imprisoned for five years, claiming that Mr Khan had secured a two-thirds majority in the Feb 8 general elections.

Mr Hasan also conde­m­ned the imposition of Sec­tion 144 — an emergency law that prohibits gatherings — in Punjab, alleging it was a tactic to prevent PTI from protesting.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2024