Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insarf (PTI) on Tuesday termed the recently released Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) post-polls report as a "white paper/charge-sheet" against the government for alleged rigging in the last year's general elections. Speaking at a news conference along with senior party members including Jahangir Khan Tareen, Shafqat Mehmood, Shireen Mazari and Dr Arif Alvi, PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi also stated that the party was ready to continue dialogue process if the government showed seriousness.
Referring to the recently released post-election report by ECP in which the commission highlighted several challenges it faced in conducting free, fair and transparent elections, Qureshi said that the report itself is a "charge-sheet" against the government, adding that the report was also an endorsement of the PTI's stance, demanding an impartial probe into the rigging allegations.
He said that the ECP kept its review report concealed from the nation and the media, adding that the PTI was mocked when it raised the question about irregularities in the elections, but the ECP report had admitted that the allegations were substantive. Qureshi said that the PTI had raised the issue about printing of extra ballot papers from Urdu Bazar, Lahore and the recent ECP report had admitted that there were problems with the ballot papers.
He pointed out that voters were unable to reach the polling stations because the ECP was unable to provide them with the transport, adding that the ECP scrutiny cell was also not working. He further maintained that the UNDP system was a complete failure despite making heavy investment.
He also questioned the time extension on polling day at some polling stations while not at the others, as the PTI wanted extension in voting time as there were long queues outside polling stations yet time was extended only at few the polling stations. Qureshi also pointed out that magnetic ink was not used in the elections, adding that it was also necessary that the ECP should fix some responsibility for not using the magnetic ink. He further maintained that the government was using delaying tactics in scrutiny of the ballots.
About the talks with the government, he said that when the PTI committee asked the government committee to scrutinise 30 constituencies, they rejected it saying that 30 constituencies were not enough to ascertain that the entire elections were rigged.
Referring to the fire that erupted in a school in Lahore where record of the last year elections was burnt, Qureshi said that it was record of the constituencies like NA-118 and 125 about which the PTI had approached court to check the alleged rigging record. "These are the tactics...that's why we believe that the last year elections were massively rigged," he maintained.
About the resignations of the PTI MNAs, he said that Speaker National Assembly had called the party members separately which was part of the tactics to hold the by-polls not on a single day if the resignations were accepted so that they could have ample time for manipulation of the polls' results. Secondly, he pointed out that it was also an effort to influence the party members.
Qureshi said that the party has written a letter to Speaker National Assembly urging him to call all the PTI members on a single day to ascertain that all the members wanted to resign. The PTI leader said that the government has backed from negotiations and formation of a judicial commission. "We have told the political Jirga that we are ready for talks, but the government is making lame excuses," Qureshi added.
To a question about the recent rally in Karachi, he said that the PTI chairman wanted to thank the people of the metropolis for their support to the sit-in protest in Islamabad. He further said that after September 28 rally in Lahore, Qureshi said that the next rally will be staged in Multan after Eid. Responding to another query, he said that the protest drive will continue till resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.