ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday announced to file a reference against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja in the Supreme Judicial Council.
Speaking to journalists outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) alongside PTI leader Faisal Vawda, former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that Pakistan’s “biggest political party” had lost trust in CEC.
He said that PTI chief Imran Khan had suggested that the “CEC may take up a position in the PML-N”, implying that Sikandar Raja had been biased against the PTI and favoured the ruling party.
“When the country’s biggest leadership, the biggest party loses trust in you, the respectable conduct is to resign, acknowledging that you cannot continue working if the leadership does not trust you and suggesting that a new person is appointed in your place. But unfortunately, what happened was contrary to this,” he regretted.
According to Fawad, the biggest reason behind the political crisis that Pakistan is facing today is the election commission being non-functional as an institution.
Without naming any institution, he added that it was institutions’ job to “maintain a balance in the country and they fail to do so because appointments in them are not based on merit”.
Fawad Chaudhry further said that the party planned to file a reference against the CEC in the Supreme Judicial Council. Moreover, Faisal Vawda, “who himself has been a victim of the ECP’s cruelty”, had decided to file a reference against the electoral watchdog’s member from Sindh, Nisar Ahmed Durrani.
Fawad also criticized the incumbent government for “daring to snatch the right of voting from overseas Pakistanis”. He said a “conspiracy was hatched to deprive nine million overseas Pakistanis of this right, and we staunchly reject it”.
Expressing dismay over the economy’s dismal condition, Fawad highlighted that the value of dollar had risen to Rs190 and the stock market had been witnessing a declining trend.
“Pakistan’s economy has been destroyed, and it is also being feared that it may end up like Sri Lanka’s economy. This is the confidence that this crime minister and his cabinet has given,” the PTI leader remarked.
He specifically criticised Finance Minister Miftah Ismail over his economic policies and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah “for trying to run the government through threats”. He also berated the government for removing the names of its ministers from the Exit Control List and “changing the prosecution teams of cases” in which they were accused.
Referring to the visit of a PML-N delegation to the UK capital to meet the party supremo, Nawaz Sharif, Fawad said the development proved that “Pakistan’s political system has been held hostage in London”.
