ECP seeks records of Imran Khan, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Khurram Sher Zaman & Ejaz Chauhdry’s anti-CEC remarks from PEMRA
ISLAMABAD, April 28 (SABAH): Taking notice of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan’s remarks against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr. Sikandar Sultan Raja and the commission, the ECP has sought a record of his speech from Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) immediately.
In a letter written to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), the ECP expressed its desire to obtain the complete records of the addresses of the following persons aired on April 26, 2022 on different news channels:
Ex-PM Imran Khan address in Peshawar
Khurram Sher Zaman (MPA Sindh Assembly)
Haleem Adil Sheikh (MPA/Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly)
Ejaz Ahmed Chauhdry (Senator PTI)
“You are, therefore, requested to provide recordings of the aforementioned addresses immediately for placing before the commission,” the letter read.
ECP Additional Director General (MCO) Haroon Khan Shinwari wrote to the PEMRA chairperson, seeking a soft copy of Imran Kha and others addressed which were aired on different news channels on 26th April, 2022.
Rejecting Imran Khan’s allegation that CEC Dr. Sikandar Sultan Raja was taking decisions against the party “alone”, the ECP termed it as “wrong and absurd.”
In a separate statement, the ECP said: “This is completely wrong and absurd.”
The statement came after Khan’s scathing criticism of the CEC in a speech in Lahore at the workers’ convention on April 27.
“CEC Raja doesn’t have the right to serve the post, therefore, he should resign. He alone makes the decisions and all of his decisions are against the PTI,” he had said.
“We demand that the foreign funding cases against all the major political parties should be heard together.”
Imran had further maintained that a conspiracy was hatched to forge evidence against the PTI in the foreign funding case.
Reacting to the PTI chairman’s “unfounded” accusations, the ECP said, “the Election Commission is a constitutional body. In which all decisions are made in the light of the Constitution and law. Some people are deliberately giving the impression that decisions are being made individually in the ECP, which is wrong and contrary to facts.”
The ECP stressed that all the decisions taken from January 2020 to date, whether the Commission consisted of five members or three, all decisions were taken by consensus and there was not a single decision in which a dissenting note was given.
Moreover, it said that there is complete harmony between the CEC and the commission members.
“The ECP would continue to take decisions in the best interest of the country, under the Constitution and the law and in accordance with the oath, without any pressure.”