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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday lauded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) chief Sardar Raza's efforts for electoral reforms and also sought army deployment for by-polls to be held in NA-122 and NA-154 constituencies.
Talking to media after meeting the Chief Election Commissioner in Islamabad, the PTI chief expressed satisfaction over measures being taken by the ECP to conduct transparent polls in future adding that he has been assured that the mass irregularities which took place in the May 2013 general elections will not be repeated.
"They have already started working on removing loopholes from the system which I had mentioned in my letter to the ECP chief. Those irregularities resulted in the largely unfair and rigged polls of 2013," Khan told media.
Meanwhile Khan also repeated his demand of ECP members' resignations saying that the Judicial Commission's report regarding rigging and the subsequent decisions of election tribunal over three of the four constituencies, whose results were challenged by PTI, shows the ECP members' inability to conduct free and fair polls.
"What reason do they have now to remain glued to their posts," the PTI chairman questioned.
He added that his party will go on with the planned sit-in against ECP provincial officials on October 4 in Islamabad.
Related: PTI to hold sit-in against ECP on Oct 4
Army deployment in by-polls
Talking about the upcoming by-polls in NA-154 and NA-122, Imran Khan said that he has demanded the deployment of army during the by-polls and accused the Punjab police of acting like 'PML-N police' when not supervised by a tough authority.
"We want an army man inside and another outside the polling stations to ensure fair and free polls and we have set such a precedent in the KP," claimed Imran Khan.
Extension for election tribunal judges
The PTI chief told media that he has requested the ECP chief Sardar Raza to grant extension to election tribunal judges until the pending cases are solved.
He also claimed to have urged the ECP chief to take notices to threats issued to ET Judge Kazim Malik after he deseated PML-N's Ayaz Sadiq after declaring his election 'null and void" in NA-122 constituency in Lahore.
Also Read: NA-122 tribunal deseats Ayaz Sadiq,orders re-polling
Irked by the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) assertion that it was not answerable to any political party, Imran Khan on August 26 alleged that all four provincial members of the ECP had helped the PML-N rig the 2013 general polls and announced that his party would avail itself of all available legal options to have them removed.
On August 29, he announced on to hold a sit-in in front of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Islamabad if its members do not tender their resignations by October 4.
PTI has already filed a reference in the Supreme Judicial Council under Article 209 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which is the relevant forum for deciding such matters.
In light of the reference filed, the members of the ECP have decided not to take any decision regarding the demands of the opposition and will await a decision by the competent authority.
Imran, earlier in July had accepted the judicial commission's report, which was constituted to probe alleged rigging during the general elections of 2013.
