Solangi urges patience as probe continues into ex-commissioner’s allegations

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Minister for Information and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Monday said a high-level investigation committee was constituted to investigate the allegations leveled by former Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaquat Ali Chatha regarding rigging in the general election.

Talking to journalists after attending the meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, the interim minister urged patience as the legal process was currently underway.

“The people should have trust in institutions and the judicial process”, he said, adding that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was currently investigating the allegations of rigging.

The minister stressed the significance of waiting for the results of the ongoing legal proceedings. The caretaker government, he said, had fulfilled its responsibility for conducting elections in free, fair and peaceful manner.

Responding to a query, he explained that once the Election Commission released the final list of successful candidates, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs would forward a summary to the concerned for convening the new session of the National Assembly. Subsequently, a request would be made to the President to summon the session of the National Assembly, he added.

In a shocking ‘revelation’, Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha – who stepped down from his post – dropped a bombshell on Saturday, confessing to be involved in rigging the Pakistan general elections 2024, adding another layer of controversy to the already disputed polls.

Taking responsibility for what he termed a “heinous crime,” Chatha implicated not only himself but also accused the Election Commission of Pakistan and Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa of involvement in the ‘rigging’ — a claim denied by the ECP and the CJP.

The presser came almost a week after the Feb 8 general elections as the ECP has already been in the crosshairs of several rigging allegations amidst PTI and other political parties’ nationwide protests, claiming they were deprived of their mandate.

The ECP flatly rejected the rigging allegations put forth by Liaquat Ali Chatta against the Election Commission and the Chief Election Commissioner.

The spokesperson said in a statement that neither the ECP nor any of its officials instructed the Rawalpindi commissioner to change election results under his jurisdiction.

Commissioners of any division do not have a direct role in conducting elections; they are neither District Returning Officers (DROs), Returning Officers (ROs), nor Presiding Officers (POs), the spokesperson noted.

Following the presser, Liaquat Ali Chattha was transferred and Rawalpindi Development Authority DG Saif Anwar Jappa was given the additional charge.