Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has accepted the judicial commission’s verdict on the alleged vote fraud in May 11, 2013 general elections.
PTI Chairman addressing to media in Chitral said “I had already said that PTI would not dispute the commission’s verdict, therefore we would live with it but I must add that I have not seen the report as yet,”
A copy of the report should have been provided to the PTI on principle, Khan said adding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was lucky to have read the report before him.
In its report, the judicial Inquiry Commission has concluded that the polls were in large part organized and conducted fairly and in accordance with the law.
However, the commission is of the view that the PTI was justified in requesting the establishment of a body to inquire into its suspicions and allegations regarding the 2013 general elections.
The 237-page Report, presented by the Commission to the Government yesterday, has been made public Thursday evening.
The commission, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, declared that all the political parties have failed to prove before the IC any plan or design to manipulate or influence the elections.
Pointing out “some lapses” by the Election Commission of Pakistan, the IC concluded it still cannot be said on the evidence before the commission that on an overall basis the elections were not a true and fair reflection of the mandate given by the electorate.
In March, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) had agreed to form a judicial commission to investigate alleged rigging in the 2013 polls after months of negotiations with Khan.
Back in the day, the leaders of both parties announced they had reached a consensus on all terms for the judicial commission at a joint press conference in the capital Islamabad.
Cricketer-turned politician Khan held a long march from Lahore to Islamabad in August last year, along with the charismatic cleric Tahir ul Qadri, demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resign over alleged irregularities in the 2013 elections, which his party won by a landslide.
The march turned into a sit-in demonstration in the secure red zone of the capital outside the parliament, where Khan’s followers camped for 126 days.
Khan had vowed to stay there until the prime minister resigned, but he ended his demonstration in wake of a deadly Taliban attack on the Peshawar school in December that killed 154 people, mostly schoolchildren.
He then changed track and demanded the creation of a judicial commission to investigate the allegations of election fraud.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf party trails in third position in the lower house of parliament with 34 seats. (PhotoNew/Agencies)
