RAWALPINDI: Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Liaquat Ali Chattha on Saturday resigned from his post after admitting responsibility for the manipulation of election results held on February 8. Addressing a press conference at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, he said that he has failed to conduct fair and transparent elections in the Rawalpindi Division; therefore, he is stepping down from his office. “I accept responsibility of rigging in Rawalpindi division and resigning from my post, as well as, surrendering myself to police,” he said.
The five districts of the Rawalpindi Division included Attock, Rawalpindi, Murree, Jhelum, and Chakwal, which had 13 national and 26 provincial assembly seats.
“What wrong we committed in this election, we converted the losers into winners”, he said, adding that the independent candidates who were leading in their constituencies with over 70,000 votes were converted to losers with the help of fake seals. He further revealed that even today our people (election staff) are affixing fake stamps (on the ballot papers).
‘Wholesale assault on democracy’: PTI gives presentation on alleged rigging
“I apologise to all my returning officers, who were working as my subordinates, who were crying when I was asking them to do this wrongful act, and they were not willing to do it,” he said.
He further alleged that he, the Chief Election Commissioner, and the Chief Justice of Pakistan are fully responsible for these wrongful acts in the elections. “I, Chief Election Commissioner, and Chief Justice of Pakistan should be hanged at Rawalpindi Kacheri Chowk,” he said. He said he should be punished for what injustice he had done, and all other people who are involved in this injustice should also be punished.
The commissioner said that there was lots of pressure from social media and overseas Pakistanis on him due to which he attempted to commit suicide after the Fajr prayer today morning but then he thought why not these facts be placed before the public.
To a question, he said that there is no need for re-elections; collect all the Form-45 then the whole results will become clear.
Following the Commissioner’s press conference, there were reports that police have arrested him, but later Rawalpindi police spokesperson rejected the reports that Commissioner Rawalpindi had been taken into custody.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
Comments
Comments are closed.