Live: Elections 2024

PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb has asked Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha to answer four questions if his rigging allegations are true.

Speaking on a Geo News programme Naya Pakistan with Shahzad Iqbal, she asked the following questions:

1. Which election result did you change?
2. Which returning officer did you tell to indulge in rigging?
3. What was its (rigging) procedure?
4. Who threatened you to change the result?

PTI leader Salman Akram Raja and other party workers were released by Lahore police, DIG operation spokesperson Agha Ehtsham has confirmed to Dawn.com.

Raja and Co were arrested while they were staging a protest against alleged poll rigging.

The arrest was widely condemned on social media by political activists and members of the legal fraternity.

Former prime minister Imran Khan has said that Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha’s “incriminating confessions” serve as a stark revelation of the “countrywide systematic manipulation of election results”, claiming that the people were deprived of their rightful mandate in the national and provincial assemblies.

According to a post on his X account, the incarcerated PTI founder said: “It’s high time, for the sake of the country’s reputation, well-being as well as political and economic stability, to reflect and correct our course, and respect the people’s will by declaring results as per Form 45.”

PTI also calls for a fair investigation and meaningful trial of all those involved in this “brazen mandate theft”, the post said.

PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha should immediately be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) and all his phone records should be taken into custody.

“People who spread such disarray should not be allowed to run away from the country and anyone who will let them leave would be involved in this [disarray] as well,” the former interior minister said while speaking to the media in Lahore.

PTI Imran Khan is not planning to take take revenge if he comes back to power, according to follow PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan.

Speaking to the media today, he said he along with other PTI leaders — including Sardar Latif Khosa — met Imran at the Adiala jail earlier.

“We will take the country forward towards political reconciliation and not political reprisal,” he quoted Imran as saying.

PTI founder Imran Khan has issued instructions to hold the intra-party elections as soon as possible, according to fellow PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan.

Addressing the media, Ali Muhammad Khan said that Imran’s message was delivered through Barrister Gohar Khan and Raoof Hasan.

“Sardar Latif Khosa also gave him recommendations regarding it and told him that their previous election was also carried out properly,” the PTI leader said.

PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the country is going through a “critical juncture” and everyone should act responsibly or everyone would “lose everything” if there was a “big loss”.

“I respect and I request everyone that we all should act responsibly. The country is going through such a critical junction that it would be everyone’s loss if a ‘big loss’ happens,” she said.

“You [Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha] have charged someone with something so go to the court of law,” she said while speaking to the media in Lahore.

An application for the filing of a first information report against Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha and returning officers (RO) of the ECP has been submitted to the Civil Lines police station in the garrison city over alleged poll rigging — a confession made by Chatha himself.

While mentioning the claims made by the commissioner, the application filed by lawyer Arsalan Ahmed said: “These actions prove that the commissioner and his ROs did not adhere to the oath of their designations.”

“People who acted against the country’s interest and betrayed the people should not be shown any leniency,” the application said, calling for an investigation.

PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha should provide proof backing his allegation of poll rigging against Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and other administrative officers.

“Did you provide any proof in your press conference,” the former information minister asked while speaking to the media in Lahore. She said that the evidence for the outgoing commissioner’s claims should have been submitted to the ECP.

“There was a hearing for the petition and it was said that if anyone has any proof to challenge these elections, they should come forward with it,” she said.

“There must be [some] document regarding these claims. Perhaps, a message, a phone call or some proof should exist. If someone pressured you or any RO [returning officer] or any form 45 was changed, or form 47 was changed, some ballot paper was passed […] there must be something (proof),” she said.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa has indicated that he may not initiate contempt proceedings over the rigging allegations made against him by Rawalpindi commissioner.

“I am against contempt myself,” he said. “It’s not about me but the institution.”

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has said that his role in Feb 8 general elections was limited to merely directing President Arif Alvi and the chief election commissioner to decide an election date.

Speaking to reporters in Islamabad today, the chief justice said the Supreme Court judges did not give any order for the polls.

“Let me make this clear … and you all say this often. An argument was ensuing between the president and CEC so we [merely] told them to sit and decide,” he said.

“If someone else did not want them (elections) to take place, it’s another thing.”

CJP Isa also said that there were more than two attempts to postpone the elections when he was leaving for a holiday on December 16 but the Supreme Court took notice.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has said that hurling “baseless allegations” without any truth or evidence to back them up “do not hold any weightage”.

The chief justice’s remarks came hours after Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha claimed that the chief election commissioner and the chief justice were “also completely involved” in alleged election rigging.

In a casual interaction with media personnel in Islamabad today, the CJP said: “Someone can blame me for theft or murder tomorrow. If hurling allegations is your right, give me evidence along with it too.”

PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the party’s candidate for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister slot, has requested the concerned authorities to rectify the election results.

Addressing a rally in Peshawar, he said the winners should be declared according to the Form 45s received from polling stations.

“Those candidates that are backed by Imran Khan should be declared as winners,” Gandapur said. “Only that government should be formed in this country who the people voted for.”

PPP leader Sharjeel Memon has doubted outgoing Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha’s claim regarding his involvement in alleged manipulation of election results, claiming that a commissioner plays no role during the electoral process.

Talking to Geo News today, the former Sindh information minister said: “From what I know, returning officers were assistant commissioners and DROs were deputy commissioners. The commissioner has no role. If he says that he was involved in rigging, I don’t understand it.”

Memon also claimed that the commissioner may have political aspirations, which may have necessitated the statement. “Maybe he wants to join a political party after that,” the PPP leader said.

PTI lawyer Hamid Khan has called for a nationwide judicial inquiry into the Rawalpindi commissioner’s revelations about the manipulation of election results.

Speaking to Geo News today, Khan said the commissioner’s revelations confirmed the rigging allegations allegedly carried out during the Feb 8 polls.

“Importance should be given to this,” he added. “Now that an important person from the government machinery is saying this, it provides confirmation.”

The PTI leader also hinted that he thinks the conscience of other officers would also force them to speak up after the Rawalpindi commissioner’s revelations.

PTI leader Hamid Khan has said that importance should be given to the statement given by the Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha given that everyone already knows rigging has taken place.

“If someone from the government’s machinery [says so], that is a confirmation of it,” Khan said, adding that he thinks other people will come out accordingly.

“Such historic rigging, there were attempts to compare it to the 2018 elections, which also had some attempts of rigging, but there is no precedent for such rigging in our history,” he said.

He said it is “ridiculous” to assert that the commissioner does not have a role when it comes to the elections.

“The reason for it is the Deputy Commissioner, who is the DRO, so how come the DRO’s boss does not have a role,” he said.

PTI leader Hammad Azhar has called on political workers and people from Punjab to reach the location provided earlier to carry out the protests organised by the party.

In a post on X, Azhar said that people should come and protest as per the instructions of the party founder Imran Khan, whether the police were there or not to stop the protests.

PML-N, in a post on X, has said that “political allegiance” dictated Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha’s claims of polling rigging, adding that the bureaucrat was the cousin of a PTI-backed candidate for the MNA seat, Ahmed Chatha.

While talking to Geo News, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan appreciated Rawalpindi Commissioner, Liaquat Ali Chatha, for coming forward regarding the alleged polling rigging, adding that the commissioner proved that the bureaucracy’s conscience was “still alive” by coming forward.

He went on to say it was time for the chief justice to take notice of their “stolen mandate” and for the chief election commissioner (CEC) to “correct” his mistake by helping them get their mandate back. He alleged that more than 170 seats were taken from PTI through poll rigging.

The core committee of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) has refused to accept the resignation of party emir Sirajul Haq from his party office.

In a post on X, the party said that a committee was formed — comprising Liaquat Baloch, Muhammad Ibrahim, Rashid Naseem and Ameerul Azim — that met Siraj and informed him of the party’s opinion.

It further requested the JI emir to withdraw his resignation and resume his role as the party chief, which he accepted.

PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah Khan has said that Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha, who he described as a “friend”, has had mental health issues for “quite some time”.

“I think that in that regard there was some treatment underway,” Sanaullah said while speaking to Geo News.

He said that the punishment for rigging an election does not amount to a death sentence as stated by the commissioner.

“He says that he should be hanged at a chowk when there is no such law or provision of hanging people in Pakistan,” he said.

The PTI has said that its leader Advocate Salman Akram Raja, who contested the polls as an independent candidate backed by the party in Lahore’s NA-128 constituency, has been arrested in Lahore.

It termed the act “extremely shameful and disgusting”, calling for his immediate release.

The party also shared a video on its official X account of the Punjab police taking the lawyer into custody.

“They are arresting me unlawfully. I am with the public and we will continue to raise my voice for the truth,” he told reporters while being whisked away by the police.

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered an “impartial probe” into allegations of manipulation of poll results made by Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha.

Taking notice of the claims in a statement, he directed that a “high-level committee” be constituted to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

“An independent inquiry of the allegations will be held,” CM Naqvi asserted, adding that the facts will be brought forward.

Here’s the full text of the ECP’s rejection of Liaquat Chatha’s claims.

Full text of the statement:

“The Election Commission of Pakistan strongly rejects the allegations levelled by the Commissioner Rawalpindi on the chief election commissioner or the election commission and no official of the election commission never issued any instructions regarding changing the election results to the Commissioner Rawalpindi. Neither is the commissioner of any division ever appointed as a DRO, RO or presiding officer, nor do they ever play a direct role in the conduct of elections. However, the election commission will conduct an inquiry into the matter as soon as possible.”

Rawalpindi Senior Superintendent of Police (operations) Kamran Asghar has told Dawn.com that city commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha has not been arrested yet after media reports said he had been taken into custody.

“How can we arrest someone till a case has been filed against them?” he asked.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has said that it strongly rejects the allegations made by the Rawalpindi Commissioner against the chief election commissioner.

In a press statement, it added, “No official of the commission gave any instruction to the Rawalpindi commissioner for change in the election results.”

It said the matter would be investigated.

Responding to the claims of manipulation of election results made by Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha, Punjab Information Minister Amir Mir has questioned why the former did not come clean about them on election day.

Speaking to Geo News, he said Chattha was making “irresponsible claims”.

“If he was forced, why did he not come forward on election day? Why did he come clean after election day?” he asked.

“There was some political affiliation of his own or plans and designs that did not happen so he is taking his anger out by blaming the government and elections,” the provincial info minister alleged.

Mir further said a probe into Chatha’s mental health was needed, stating that the commissioner had called for himself to be severely punished.

Punjab caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir has “rejected” the claims of manipulation of election results made by Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha.

Speaking to Geo News, he said that Chatha had “not shown any proof” of the alleged tampering of poll results.

Noting that the commissioner was retiring on March 13, Mir said, “I imagine he’s trying to kick start his political career after he retires.”

Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha has said that “stabbing the country in its back does not let” him sleep.

“I should be punished for the injustice I have done and others who were involved in this injustice should also be punished,” he told reporters in Rawalpindi.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha has said that “independent candidates who were winning” the election were made to lose.

When asked by reporters in Rawalpindi if there were “irregularities” in the electoral process and if the local returning officers had delayed the transmission of results, Chatha said that irregularities was a “small term” for it.

“We made to lose the independent candidates who were winning [the election] with a lead of 70,000-80,000 votes by putting on fake stamps,” he added.

“There is no pressure on me,” the commissioner said, adding that he “could not become a part of breaking this country”.