ISLAMABAD: The PTI on Tuesday denounced the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to postpone the Senate polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and called it a continuation of the “mandate theft” plot.

In a statement, a party spokesperson said the postponement of Senate elections for not administering the oath to members on reserved seats in the provincial assembly was “ridiculous” because the heads of state were also elected without members on reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies.

The statement accused the chief election commissioner of being the “central figure” in the “poll robbery” scheme.

The statement added that ECP’s decision was a continuation of the same scheme under which people’s mandate was stolen “under state patronage” after general elections.

Party demands Bushra Bibi’s medical check-up following claims of ‘poisoning’

The PTI spokesperson alleged that a “conspiracy” was being hatched to disturb their party’s position in the upper house after depriving it of its seats “won with clear margin in national and provincial levels”.

Probe into threatening letters

The party also demanded a thorough and immediate investigation into the threatening letters sent to eight judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The PTI spokesperson said prima facie, the letters containing deadly and poisonous substances were clearly intended to intimidate the judges and force them to withdraw the letter sent to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against the interference of intelligence agencies.

After the letters, the need for a decisive investigation and action into the matter of interference in judicial affairs has increased manifold, the statement said, adding that special measures should be taken for the safety and security of the six judges and their families.

The PTI spokesperson urged the chief justice to refer the judges’ letter to the full court without any further delay and take the matter to its logical conclusion through public proceedings.

Medical check-up of Bushra

The party has also voiced grave concerns over threats to the life of PTI founder Imran Khan’s spouse, Bushra Bibi.

The spokesperson alleged that toxic and suspicious substances were being mixed in her food at the Bani Gala sub-jail, where she has been incarcerated.

Ms Bibi’s life has been endangered due to the denial of her constitutional right to a medical examination.

The party demanded her medical check-up by a trusted doctor from Shaukat Khanum Hospital and sought an inquiry into the allegations to bring the culprits to justice.

The statement also denounced the re-arrest of female party leaders Sanam Javed and Aliya Hamza in another case.

The two women, already incarcerated at the Kot Lakhpat jail, have been booked in a new case for allegedly Kamar Mashani police station in Mianwali during the protests on May 9.

State functionaries were so “petrified” of the two women’s popularity that their re-arrest had become their “top priority,” the PTI spokesperson claimed.

He said the judiciary’s silence over the issue was also raising many questions.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2024