ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s caretaker government has “nothing to do” with the rejection or acceptance of nomination papers for the polls, Information Minister Murtaza Solangi said this week amid allegations of “pre-poll rigging” by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party against the country’s government and election regulator.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) scrutinized thousands of nomination papers of candidates for polls scheduled on Feb. 8, from Dec. 24-30.
The PTI cried foul as the election regulator rejected former prime minister Imran Khan’s nomination to contest the 2024 national elections in two constituencies. Other PTI members whose nominations were rejected included Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, Murad Saeed, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, Dr. Amjad Khan, Fazal Hakim Khan, Mian Sharafat, Salim-ur-Rahman, said Omar Ayub Khan, a Khan aide and a former federal minister.
“Only the Election Commission has the authority to decide on election-related matters,” Solangi was quoted by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) on Saturday. He was speaking to a private news channel.
“The caretaker government had nothing to do with the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers which was part of the constitutional process.”
Reiterating that polls would be held on Feb. 8, Solangi said the caretaker government was committed to providing financial and administrative support to the ECP for elections.
In response to a question, Solangi said Pakistan’s constitutional bodies had been working “within their limits.”
Khan, who is in prison since August after being convicted in a graft case, has accused Pakistan’s powerful military, the ECP, and his political rivals of colluding to keep him and the PTI away from elections. He denies any wrongdoing and says the charges against him are politically motivated.
The Pakistani military, the election regulator, and the caretaker government deny Khan’s allegations.
Tensions between Khan’s party and the ECP escalated earlier this month when the regulator stripped the PTI of its electoral symbol, a cricket bat, for violating rules in the intraparty elections. The symbol is reflective of Khan’s past as a successful cricketer, who led Pakistan to their only 50-over World Cup win in 1992.
The decision, however, was overturned by a Pakistani high court which ruled the PTI could retain the bat as its symbol.
