A court has ordered the ECP to wrap up the long-stalled foreign funding case against the PTI with 30 days. Ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan has alleged there is an attempt to keep the party out of the electoral arena on the pretext of the case.
The case which has been ongoing since 2014 is once against set to bring the party on a collision course with the election commission and the judiciary. Imran Khan has also hinted on sending a reference against Chief Election Commission Sultan Raja, alleging his incompetence for being unable to complete delimitation of constituencies on time which delayed early elections.
The former prime minister also made the shocking revelation that the CEC’s name was proposed by the establishment after a political deadlock, stating the party has insisted the chief election commissioner should be neutral and appointed through an independent body.
With the PTI now been thrown out of power, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the ECP to adjudicate the case within a month, raising apprehensions regarding possible attempt to disqualify the PTI. The party went all guns blaring against the commission and demanded a similar probe in foreign funding received by rivals PML-N and PPP.
Imran Khan has also expressed apprehensions that the present rulers would attempt to appoint their favourites in the ECP and key bureaucratic posts to rig the next elections and attain power through foul means. Fearing a rushed decision, the PTI has appealed the court’s decision to expedite the case. PTI leader Asad Umar even said the ECP has become biased and cannot conduct transparent elections.
If the PTI files a reference against CEC, it will need to provide solid evidence or else it could prove counter-productive and harm the party’s stance. Before being ousted from power, the PTI has called for early elections. The ECP sought more time, blaming the delay in delimitation of constituencies. It was in this backdrop that Supreme Court didn’t issue a timeframe for fresh elections in its landmark verdict on restoring the National Assembly.
The hallmark of a democratic society is an independent and impartial election commission. The ECP should not give an impression that it is being influenced by external forces. Political parties, including PTI, should also not take any step which could lead to a collision with state institutions.
