ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) denied all accusations made by Fawad Chaudhry, the Senior Vice President of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), against the body and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. The ECP spokesperson issued a statement denying the allegations and stated that the commission could not be influenced by any unjust means.
Fawad Chaudhry had alleged that the CEC was acting as a “crony” of the ruling alliance and had usurped the power to appoint officials from a five-member committee. He further claimed that officials were appointed without following the due process, and the ECP had set up a project management unit where employees were earning hundreds of thousands per month. Chaudhry also accused the CEC of being part of a conspiracy to deprive people of their right to vote and demanded his dismissal.
The electoral watch dog rejected the accusations and stated that all hiring was done transparently by following rules and regulations. No close relative of any top official was given a job, and all technical and professional experts were hired according to the re-employment policy and relevant regulations. The commission also denied purchasing any private land for its offices and clarified that all of its offices were built on state-owned land, with no private transactions involved.
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The commission cleared the air about the that the Sargodha office which was constructed on land provided by the Punjab government during the former ruling party, PTI and the land acquired for the commission’s offices during the PTI’s tenure was obtained from the Punjab government at official rates and then transferred to the Election Commission from the federal government’s treasury.
The statement added that the commission could not be pressured by any unjust means, and those who apologize to the commission do not make such statements, referring to Chaudhry’s apology in 2021 for his previous tirade against the electoral body. The ECP said that all the conspirators would fail in designs.
The ECP denied all allegations made by the PTI leader and stated that all hiring and land acquisition were done transparently and in accordance with the rules and regulations according to Pakistan’s law. The commission also emphasized that it could not be pressured by any unjust means and hoped that all conspirators would fail in their nefarious intentions.