Imran Khan, the imprisoned founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has approached the Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate the alleged rigging in the February 8 general elections.
Khan, who has been incarcerated at Adiala jail since August last year due to multiple convictions, alleges “manipulation and fraud” in the election results and has filed a petition with the apex court.
The plea, filed by senior lawyer Hamid Khan on behalf of Khan, urges the Supreme Court to appoint a judicial commission comprised of unbiased judges to probe the conduct and aftermath of the general elections held on February 8, 2024.
Khan’s plea requests the suspension of all consequential acts of forming governments at the federal and Punjab levels until the results of the judicial commission’s investigation are disclosed.
The respondents named in the plea include the government, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Mutahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).
According to the petition, the general elections were marred by open rigging and manipulation of results, breaching the public’s trust.
The plea highlights the failure of the Election Commission of Pakistan to uphold its constitutional duty of ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections, alleging that the polls were massively rigged with the assistance of appointed Returning Officers (ROs) and caretaker setups.
Since the conclusion of the general elections, various political parties and independent candidates have raised concerns about the transparency of the polling process, leading to protests and rallies criticizing the alleged rigging by caretaker setups and the electoral body.
