ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has accepted the report of the judicial commission on the 2013 general elections.

“I had said when the judicial commission was formed that whatever the result will be, we will accept the verdict, therefore I accept the report,” he tweeted on Thursday.

In an earlier tweet, Imran Khan said he had yet to see the report and “will be in a better position to comment once I examined it”.

He said since there were two parties involved, the report should have been sent to both PTI and PML-N. “We haven’t received it yet.”

PTI leader Dr Arif Alvi said: “We believe there was election rigging, but could not convince the judicial commission in this regard. We promised to accept the report but have not read it yet.”

The PTI’s media cell said in a statement that Imran Khan would give the official reaction on the report of the poll inquiry commission on his return to Islamabad from Chitral on Friday. It said he would also announce the party’s future plan in light of the report.

Senator Farhatullah Babar of the PPP said the report was a moment of serious reflection and deliberation.

“The PPP, indeed the whole parliament, had rejected sit-ins and politics of agitation. Sit-ins did a great disservice by seeking to de-legitimise all civil and political institutions and legitimise only the security establishment.”

He said it was time to move forward. “Let us now hope and strive for consensus electoral reforms through parliament so that no one is able to exploit flaws in the electoral system,” he added.

The MQM’s parliamentary leader Dr Farooq Sattar said the report vindicated his party’s stance. “Imran Khan should not have wasted the nation’s time for a short-term gain. It was his short-sightedness and immaturity.”

He said that all political parties should have campaigned for ‘true participatory democracy’ and root out the unfair and unjust electoral system.

The MQM leader said that the nation needed a radical and revolutionary agenda of electoral reforms and, not a judicial commission. The electoral reforms should be introduced to make sure that all the contestants get a level-playing field irrespective of their financial status and influence, he added.

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq observed that interpreting the report of the judicial commission as someone’s victory or defeat would only add to the political turmoil. Electoral reforms should be introduced in consultation with all political parties to restore confidence of people in voting and avoid allegations of rigging, he said.

Kamil Ali Agha of the PML-Q said even the rejection of all major allegations of the PTI did not mean that no rigging had taken place. “Even the judicial commission can make a mistake,” he remarked.

He said 14 witnesses and the evidence presented by his party before the commission could not be ignored. “The people of Pakistan believe that large-scale rigging took place in the 2013 elections and I am ready for a debate on the issue.”

Haji Adeel of the Awami National Party said the report had confirmed that the PTI wanted to derail the system by its sit-in and it should apologise to the nation for wasting its 126 days.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2015

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