In an unexpected turn of events, the government on Monday sought resignations from the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), including the chief election commissioner.
Addressing a press conference, Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood said the electoral process regulator had “completely failed” in the discharge of its responsibilities.
“It was a longstanding demand of the prime minister that the power of money should not be used to influence elections,” said Shafqat Mehmood, flanked by information minister Shibli Faraz and Fawad Chaudhry. “For this purpose, the premier wanted the Senate elections to be held via an open ballot.”
The education minister stated that the electoral body had failed to uphold its responsibility of ensuring elections were free from corruption and demanded that it should be disbanded as it could not act as an impartial umpire.
The minister said that the ECP despite the clear directions of the Supreme Court failed to devise a mechanism to eliminate corrupt practices during the Senate elections.
Yousuf Raza Gilani’s win shows that corrupt practices were done during the election of the Senate seat from Islamabad, he added.
“If you ask other parties, even they don’t have confidence in the ECP,” he asserted. “The ECP should collectively resign and a new commission should be made which enjoys the trust of all parties.”
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ministers also condemned the attack on Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr Shehbaz Gill, wherein ink was thrown on him, and alleged that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had a hand in it.
The education minister said that when matters go according to the wishes of the PML-N, then everything is fine. However, when it goes against them, then the party decides to attack, said the minister.
“The PML-N was responsible for the attack on the Supreme Court in the past,” he said. “When the prime minister was seeking a vote of confidence, their leaders arrived [outside the parliament] to instigate a fight,” added Mehmood.
