Following severe accusations made against the chief justice and other officials by Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Liaqat Ali Chatha, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Saturday requested proof of his role in the manipulation of the February 8 elections.
“You make unfounded accusations. It is untrue, and no supporting data is offered. You have the freedom to make any accusations you choose, as long as you can support them with proof. It will be decided later, whether it’s good or bad,” the chief justice declared in response to the significant event of today.
He continued by saying that his involvement was limited to helping to make elections go more smoothly.
“If someone did not want elections, that’s another story,” he stated.
The CJP questioned the relationship between him and the supreme court and the polls, arguing that the court only considers and rules on petitions related to elections.
According to the CJP, the top court requested that the president and the electoral commission, who are both constitutional authorities, hold the elections after they have agreed upon a date. It did not, therefore, issue an order for the polls.
Earlier today, Liauqt Ali Chatta, the Commissioner of Rawalpindi Division, resigned from his position in protest over electoral rigging.
During a press conference he said, “We have a 70,000 vote buffer to turn the losers into winners. I did injustice to the people of Rawalpindi Division,” and turned himself up to the authorities.
He told reporters, “I am taking responsibility for all of this wrongdoing and telling you that the chief justice and the chief election commissioner are also completely involved in this.”
