Poll ‘rigging’: PTI tables motion in NA to form parliamentary commission

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Tuesday tabled a motion in the National Assembly to form a parliamentary commission to probe alleged rigging in the July 26 polls. 

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi tabled the motion, saying, “We accept the Opposition’s opinion. We are willing to form a parliamentary commission.”

The first formal session of the lower house of the Parliament since the 2018 polls is underway with its Speaker Asad Qaiser in the chair.

The motion authorised the Speaker to constitute a committee to finalize terms of reference (ToRs) with regard to an investigation into the allegations of rigging.  The committee will be constituted in consultation with the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition.

“We are ready to place everything before the public for the sake of transparency of the elections,” Mr Qureshi said, adding that they are moving ahead putting aside everything.

He said the PTI has nothing to hide as it believes in strengthening democratic norms and values. The goal of both the government and opposition benches is to ensure free and fair election in the country, he added.

PML-N MNA Ahsan Iqbal said they should formulate terms of reference (TORs) for the proposed committee at first and that all parties should be allowed to present the TORs, which should be accepted.

He said the commission should have powers to summon anyone to assist it with the probe.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the commission is being formed on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He recalled how the PTI had to struggle for the formation of a similar commission for a probe into the 2013 elections for four years.

Meanwhile, the joint Opposition in the National Assembly has postponed its meeting, which was scheduled to take place today.

The opposition parties, mainly the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), have been persistently pressing for a parliamentary panel to probe allegations of rigging in the general elections.

“In the history of Pakistan, this parliament was created by rigging,” PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif had said in a speech in the National Assembly.

Shehbaz Sharif said the Election Commission failed miserably in conducting free and fair elections. “From Chitral to Karachi, the RTS (Result Transmission System) was switched off at 11PM,” he said questioning why the election results were withheld for three days.

Lately addressing a presser, the PML-N president said PM Imran Khan had assured him of the formation of a parliamentary commission but despite the passage of three weeks it has not been formed.

He hoped that Mr Khan will keep his word and warned they will not allow the parliamentary proceedings move ahead unless the commission is appointed.

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