KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Grand Democratic Alliance have demanded a judicial commission to investigate the allegations of rigging in the Feb 8 elections.

The two parties said that the elections were held on the orders of the Supreme Court so it would be appropriate if a judicial commission was constituted under the apex court to probe bogus elections.

The consensus between the two parties emerged during a meeting between PTI-Sindh president Haleem Adil Sheikh and GDA’s senior leader Sadruddin Shah Rashdi at the latter’s residence.

The two sides discussed the post-elections situation and agreed to demand a judicial probe into “manipulated and rigged results” of Feb 8 elections.

Both parties agree on joint struggle to reclaim their ‘stolen’ mandate

“Leaders from both sides are agreed on a joint struggle against the fraud elections and to continue to exercise every legal and constitutional right to reclaim the stolen mandate of the people of Pakistan,” said a GDA statement issued after the meeting.

The two sides also asked the chief election commissioner (CEC) to resign for failing to hold free and fair polls in the country.

The PTI assured the GDA of its participation in its protest demonstration scheduled to be held in Moro on Tuesday (tomorrow).

‘PTI won 20 NA, 40 PA seats in Karachi’

Earlier, speaking at a press conference, Haleem Adil Sheikh had claimed that candidates backed by his party had won 20 of the city’s 22 National Assembly seats and two of the three NA seats of Hyderabad in the Feb 8 general elections.

He said that the PTI had won 40 provincial assembly seats from Karachi as well.

Flanked by PTI-Sindh general secretary Advocate Ali Palh and others, he said in Islamabad a presentation had already been given to the media as to how the PTI had won 80 seats as per Form-45, which were snatched from it through Form-47.

He called for releasing true results of elections as per Form-45.

The PTI leader said that the party had all Form-45s of Karachi and all this data was uploaded on the internet.

He added that seats of GDA were also stolen from rural areas of Sindh and Jamaat-i-Islami also won provincial assembly seats in Karachi.

He said JI leader Hafiz Naeem showed moral courage by giving up his seat, citing widespread electoral rigging as the reason.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2024