Contesting Prime Minister Imran Khan’s permission to authorise PDM for holding protest in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), an official of the Commission has said that ECP was an autonomous body and no one had the power to do so.
A senior official of the Commission without disclosing his name told The Nation that under which law PM Imran Khan had allowed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to hold protest in front of the ECP.
Talking to The Nation exclusively, a senior ECP official on condition of anonymity said that ECP will never take any pressure from anyone as ECP was a constitutionally autonomous body and will keep playing its role in making the election process free, fair and transparent in order to maintain trust of people on the Commission.
The senior official further revealed that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Sikandar Sultan was appointed as CEC of the Commission after a mutual consensus between the government and the opposition and CEC Raja Sikandar Sultan will never accept any pressure from anyone and will exactly work as per law and constitution, the official added.
Meanwhile, former secretary ECP Kanwar Dilshad while commenting on the issue said that PM Imran Khan should not have given such remarks as it will eventually damage the image of ECP. Kanwar Dilshad further said that protest of the opposition parties will also leave its impact on the local government and by-elections across the country.
Talking about the status of the PTI foreign funding and the alleged interference of the ruling party, Kanwar Dilshad said that matter was very serious and there was something wrong and this was the reason that government was using delaying tactics in the foreign funding case. Dilshad further claimed that ECP will never come under pressure as it was a competent and autonomous body of the country.
Kanwar Dilshad further claimed that Imran Khan himself had held protest in front of ECP when he was in opposition; adding that he himself had set precedent for such activities. It must be noted that Prime Minister Imran Khan had allowed Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to protest in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and directed the interior ministry not to create any hindrance.
The prime minister, after consulting with the interior minister, has allowed PDM’s planned protest in front of the Election Commission and had said that opposition might exercise its right to protest, however, no one would be allowed to take law into their own hands.
The opposition parties earlier had announced to hold protest in front of the ECP on January 19 against six years delay in resolving the foreign funding case against the ruling party.
