Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan Friday said that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) printed 5.5 million extra ballot papers to rig 2013 general elections for the incumbent government in connivance with provincial election commissioners. "Our investigating teams have collected documentary evidence which show that 5.5 million extra ballot papers were printed two days ahead of elections from three printing presses out of five printing presses to rig the polls for the incumbent government," Imran told a press conference.
According to PTI chairman, the ECP made all the payments for the extra ballot papers which were later stuffed by the returning officers (ROs) on the directives of the then chief justice Supreme Court Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to win the PML-N candidates especially in Punjab and Balochistan.
The way the elections were rigged so systematically by the government officials, he added, left the party with no option but to take to the streets after finding no justice from judiciary, election tribunals and the parliament. "Forget about PTI...I'm talking as an ordinary citizen of Pakistan. This is how elections are taking place in the country for the last so many years. The only way out to eradicate poll rigging is to bring the perpetrators to book," he maintained.
He said the elections were rigged through the extra ballot papers, adding that votes were added to PML-N candidates' vote count. According to him, 124,000 extra ballot papers were printed in PML-N leader Saad Rafique's constituency alone. To a question that PTI sit-in may lead to imposition of martial law in the country, Imran rubbished the allegations saying his 18-year-old democratic struggle and his 106-day historic anti-government sit-in, are enough to humble his political rivals.
"The 'third umpire' means Almighty Allah. It doesn't mean any general...my lifelong struggle cannot be reduced to bringing martial law in the country. My struggle is only aimed at bringing true democracy in Pakistan," he declared. He further said that his party had been staging a sit-in for the last 106 days to bring the perpetrators of poll rigging to book; and it is not aimed at overthrowing Nawaz Sharif to pave the way for himself to become prime minister of Pakistan.
"Electoral reforms will be of no use unless we punish those involved in rigging ...if we want to move ahead and correct the country's electoral process, we will have to hold those who rigged the polls accountable," he added. Imran said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) got 6.8 million votes in the 2008 elections when the All Parties Democratic Alliance (APDM) boycotted the polls in 2008, but this number doubled in 2013, taking the vote count to 15 million.
Without holding any political party responsible for targeted killings in Karachi, PTI chief pointed out that such crimes in the port city were rampant because the preparers are not punished. "15,000 people have so far been killed in targeted killings in Karachi. There are strong anti-terror laws but still the killing spree continues as target killers are not being punished and same is the case with rigging [and] we must give exemplary punishment to those involved in poll cheating," her maintained.
He added that the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) rigged the 2013 polls in Sindh just like the PML-N did in Punjab, asked how PPP managed to bag more votes after "destroying Sindh in five years". Earlier giving a presentation on elections rigging in Sindh and Balochistn, Ishaq Khan Khakhwani said the voter turnout remained 44 percent in 2008 despite people's anger after the tragic assassination of Benazir Bhutto but it soared "the 54 percent despite poorest performance of Asif Ali Zardari".
The PTI also accused National Party (NP) of committing rigging to come into power. The situation underscored need for ensuring free, fair and transparent elections in the restive province to end the sense of deprivation among the people of Balochistan.
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