Election rigging allegations 'false', 'based on lies': Inquiry Committee

Islamabad: A high-level inquiry committee constituted by Pakistan's top electoral body on Friday said that the explosive allegations of election rigging levelled by a former senior bureaucrat were "false and based on lies''.

The report of the probe committee came a day after Rawalpindi's former Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha on Thursday took a U-turn and withdrew his allegations, saying he had made the rigging charges at the behest of ex-prime minister Imran Khan's party which offered him a "lucrative position".

In its report submitted on Friday, the committee constituted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recommended legal action against Chattha for making “false accusations and potentially impacting the commission’s integrity”, ARY News reported citing sources.

The committee thoroughly investigated the allegations, reviewing evidence and interviewing relevant officials. Their findings, as per sources, conclusively debunked the claims of rigged elections, it said.

The allegations of election rigging made by the former Rawalpindi Commissioner were "false and based on lies", the committee said.

The Samaa TV also reported that the committee's report has recommended legal action against Chattha for making false accusations and potentially impacting ECP's integrity.

After thoroughly investigating Chatta's allegations, reviewing evidence and interviewing relevant officials, the committee, according to sources, conclusively debunked the claims of rigged elections, the report said.

On Saturday, Chattha resigned from his office after "accepting responsibility" for manipulation of poll results. “I am taking responsibility for all this wrongdoing and telling you that the chief election commissioner and the chief justice are also completely involved in this,” he had said.

The former bureaucrat had alleged that 13 candidates from Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi were forcefully declared winners in the elections.

He had also accused Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja of facilitating the rigging of votes.

The ECP had strongly rejected the allegations against the chief election commissioner made by Chattha.

However, retracting his allegations in a letter to the ECP on Thursday, Chattha said that all of this was done in coordination with jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which had promised him a “lucrative position”.

The inquiry committee mentioned Chatha's letter in its report and quoted him as saying that he was influenced by “external forces” when making his statement, the ARY News reported quoting sources. “Chatha has apologised to ECP in front of the inquiry committee,” it said.

Expressing shame and embarrassment in his letter to the ECP, the former bureaucrat sought an apology from the nation. Chatha stated that the entire plan to malign state institutions was approved by “the PTI leadership”.

The ex-commissioner clarified that he never instructed any Returning Officer to show favouritism or intervene in the election process.

“With a 32-year service record, I was scheduled to retire on March 13, 2024, and held concerns about potential loss of benefits in the future. I deeply regret my statement and offer a sincere apology to the nation,” Chatha stated in the letter.