Top official in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi admits responsibility for manipulating poll results and resigns
ISLAMABAD: A senior bureaucrat in Pakistan’s garrison city of Rawalpindi resigned on Saturday, accepting responsibility for manipulating the February 8 election results amid protests from political parties over allegations of poll fraud.
Rawalpindi District Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatta made the shocking revelation at a press conference, admitting involvement in the manipulation of results in five districts of the district.
These five constituencies include Attock, Rawalpindi, Murree, Jhelum and Chakwal, where 13 Lok Sabha seats and 26 state assembly seats were contested in the February 8 elections.
“The fraud I committed in this election was [is that] we created lost people [the election], won 13 MNA seats from Rawalpindi. 70,000 people now[-vote] It led individuals to defeat,” Chatta said.
“Even now, our people are affixing fake stamps.” [on ballot papers]. I apologize to all returning police officers who worked under my supervision. They cried when I asked them to do this illegal act, but they had no intention of doing it. ”
The incident comes amid nationwide protests by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other political parties over allegations of fraud in last week’s polls.
Official results showed that although there was no clear winner in the vote, independent candidates most loyal to Mr. Khan secured the most seats, with 101 seats. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Party (PML-N), led by three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, won 75 seats, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, won 54 seats. did.
But Mr Khan’s party is in serious trouble ahead of the vote, with rallies banned, party symbols stripped and dozens of candidates disqualified from running, making victory unlikely. It claims defeat in 24 constituencies.
Chata told a press conference that she was under immense pressure from “overseas Pakistanis” and “social media” and had considered suicide. He joined other state officials, including the election commissioner, in calling for stricter punishment against him.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) strongly denied Mr. Chatta’s allegations against himself and its top officials.
“No Election Commission official has ever instructed Commissioner Rawalpindi to change the election results,” the ECP said in a statement.
“The chairperson of any department is not a DRO (District Returning Officer), RO (Returning Officer) or Principal Officer and has no direct role in the conduct of elections.”
However, the ECP said it would look into the matter soon.
Mohsin Naqvi, interim chief minister of Punjab province, which includes Rawalpindi division, ordered an independent investigation into Mr Chatta’s allegations.
“There will be an independent investigation into the allegations,” Naqvi said in a statement. “The real facts regarding Chief Rawalpindi’s allegations will come out.”
