Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja has said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was always ready for the elections.
During the oath-taking ceremony of two new members of the commission, Raja said that ECP takes all the decisions fearlessly and they will continue to take fearless decisions. He also said that if anyone has any problem with the decisions of the commission, then it is their own problem.
Raja further said, “ECP takes all the decisions according to the constitution and laws of the country. Everyone is our friend.”
Previously, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has accused Raja of being biased towards other parties and former PM Imran Khan has asked him publically to resign. PTI also planned to file a reference against him while former Human Rights Minister Dr. Shireen Mazari blamed the commission for the same issues.
Khan has also shown displeasure in the posting of Raja and said that his name was suggested by the establishment and demanded that the chief of such important authority should be appointed by an independent body.
PTI supporters have already protested in front of the Election Commission’s offices around the country. Khan even has said that Raja should be given an official position in the PML-N party.
While speaking to the reporters, Raja said that ECP’s job is to hold transparent and fair elections in the country and the department is always ready for the elections but final delimitation is not possible till the latest census.
“The government now wants a digital census and delimitation can be completed on time if its results are released by December 2022,” he said. “If the results are delayed, the election will be held on the basis of the 2017 census.”
Regarding the foreign funding case, he said that it is still under process but it is necessary to give equal opportunities to all parties for clarification.
Justice (retd) Ikramullah Khan was sworn in as the ECP member from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Babr Hassan Bharwana as the member from Punjab.
