After recording the statements of five witnesses on Tuesday, the General Election 2013 Inquiry Commission (GEIC) summoned four other witnesses for cross-examination on June 03 (today). During the hearing, the counsel for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) concluded the cross-examination of officials, including Shabir Afzal, Abdul Waheed, Gyiasuddin, Ishfaq Sarwar and an official of Printing Corporation of Pakistan Islamabad Fazalur Rehman.
A three-member GEIC led by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk summoned three officials of the election commission - Naveed A. Khawaja, former Additional Election Commissioner Punjab Khalique Ahmed, former KPK election commissioner Sono Khan Baloch and incumbent Additional Secretary of the Election Commission Sher Afgan as witnesses in the matter on June 03. During proceedings, the counsel for PML-Q, Dr Khalid Ranjha, said that a new method of rigging is exposed in every general election, alleging that rigging was carried out through Returning Officers (ROs) in general election 2013.
Ranjha urged the GEIC to summon six ROs in the matter, saying that ROs didn't issue notices to the contesting candidates while finalizing election results. To which, the GEIC asked Ranjha to produce private witnesses to substantiate his claim about certain national and provincial assemblies' constituencies where rigging took place through ROs. The GEIC also said: "you (Ranjha) are giving a sweeping statement as on the first hand you said that ROs are senior judicial officers and on the other you accused them of rigging in the general election 2013."
Justice Amir Hani Muslim said that while seeking Form XV, the Commission had earlier asked the parties to refrain from involving the judicial officers, adding that it is not appropriate to make allegations against the ROs. He further asked Ranjha to file evidence about his claim that 'general election was designed.' The hearing of matter was adjourned till June 03.
Comments
Comments are closed.