ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to fulfill its constitutional and legal responsibilities and instantly take practical measures to ensure providing level playing field for the elections by putting a halt on the ongoing state coercive actions and revengeful steps against PTI and its leaders as well as workers.

The PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan termed the Chief Election Commissioner’s (CEC) letters to federal and provincial caretaker governments for ensuring providing level playing fields to political parties for the upcoming elections as inadequate because it served no purpose since no respite has been witnessed in the ongoing oppression and suppression against PTI leaders and its supporters hitherto.

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He demanded the electoral watchdog should take effective practical and tangible steps by using its constitutional and legal powers in this regard because at present the country was in the grip of the worst lawlessness and disorder as there was no regard for constitution and law of the land. He pointed the country was under the worst constitutional and legal crises; therefore it was need of the hour to take concrete steps instead of mere writing letters to the caretaker governments because even after writing letters by the CEC’s letters, PTI was not allowed to hold peaceful political activities anywhere in the country.

He highlighted that the coverage of statements of most of the political leaders, including Imran Khan, and their press conferences were prohibited. Hasan said that the process of enforced disappearing of the PTI leaders and workers and subsequently compelling them to part ways with PTI continued unabated, adding that the state plans to keep PTI out of the electoral race were talk of the town. Moreover, he contended that most of the party’s leaders had been locked up without any crime and were not being released. Therefore, he stressed the need that the election body should go beyond the verbal orders and sending letters and should exercise its constitutional and legal powers and take immediate practical steps to ensure holding of free, fair and transparent elections in the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023