ISLAMABAD: In an unprecedented development, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Saturday rejected the rigging allegations against him in a casual media interaction in Islamabad after a senior bureaucrat accused him and the chief election commissioner of manipulating the outcome of the February 8 polls.
The accusation was made earlier in the day by Commissioner of Rawalpindi Division Liaquat Ali Chattha in a news conference during which he confessed he was also guilty of changing results in 13 national and 26 provincial assembly constituencies.
Chattha, who resigned from his post, said he was handing himself over to the police, adding that he deserved capital punishment.
Responding to the rigging allegation against him, the chief justice said he had nothing to do with national elections in the country.
“Forget about me as an individual, but there are [state] institutions in Pakistan,” he said in a brief conversation with reporters in Islamabad who asked him about the accusation. “Don’t destroy them any further. I am also heading an institution as the chief justice. So, if you make baseless allegations, which have no truth in them, and you don’t offer any evidence, then you can level any accusation [like this]. Tomorrow you can raise allegations of stealing or murder. If it is your right to accuse people, you should also fulfil your responsibility by providing evidence.”
He recalled that his court had taken up election related cases since attempts were being made to further delay them. However, the Supreme Court had issued rulings to prevent that from happening.
Asked if he would issue a contempt notice to the Rawalpindi commissioner, he said he was against the idea of taking such steps.
The chief justice will also take up another case seeking the annulment of the recent polls in the coming week amid mounting allegations of election manipulation.
However, he refused to say anything about it in advance when he asked if he would invite the Rawalpindi commissioner to present evidence of his claims.
In rare media interaction, Pakistan’s top judge refutes rigging allegations raised against him by senior bureaucrat
https://arab.news/87tyf
In rare media interaction, Pakistan’s top judge refutes rigging allegations raised against him by senior bureaucrat
- The Rawalpindi commissioner accused Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa of manipulating the outcome of the Feb. 8 elections
- The chief justice says he has nothing to do with national polls, though his court rulings prevented efforts to delay them
Imran Khan’s party seeks ‘confidence-building measures’ after government’s talks offer
- PTI says access to jailed founding leader essential for talks to be considered credible
- Government says it’s ready for dialogue but nothing will happen until Khan favors the idea
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party said on Saturday it would only consider the government’s offer for talks credible if it is accompanied by “concrete confidence-building measures,” such as unhindered access to its founding leader in a high-security prison in Rawalpindi.
Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government was fully prepared to hold a dialogue with Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to address political polarization that has deepened since the downfall of the PTI administration in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022.
PTI has frequently complained about a state crackdown against its top leadership, including Khan and his wife, who are serving prison sentences in multiple cases ranging from corruption charges to inciting violence against state institutions and attacks on government properties.
Sharif’s offer for talks came amid media reports that PTI wanted a dialogue with the government, though he noted that negotiations would not be allowed to proceed on the basis of “blackmailing” or unlawful demands and would only cater to legitimate issues.
“Announcements of talks, without concrete confidence-building measures, cannot be treated as credible progress,” Azhar Leghari, PTI’s central deputy information secretary, told Arab News.
He recalled that Khan had authorized Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas to carry forward with the dialogue process, adding that talks “require trust, and trust cannot be built at the cost of constitutional rights or democratic legitimacy.”
“For dialogue to be meaningful, it is essential that these authorized representatives are allowed regular and unhindered access to Imran Khan so that any engagement accurately reflects his views and PTI’s collective position,” he added.
Khan’s family, party and legal team have complained in the past they are stopped by the authorities from meeting the ex-PM in prison. Last month, they also raised concerns about his health, prompting the officials to allow one of his sisters to meet him, who said he was fine.
Shortly thereafter, a scathing message was posted on his social media account, criticizing the army chief. Khan’s post elicited a bitter response from the government and the military amid accusations of inciting people against state institutions.
Leghari’s comments came only a day after Rana Sanaullah, adviser to Prime Minister Sharif on political affairs, said PTI’s “second- or third-tier leadership” wanted dialogue, but nothing was going to happen until Khan favored these negotiations.
He also maintained that while the government was ready for talks, “uncertainty and delays from PTI are preventing progress.”
Meanwhile, a newly formed National Dialogue Committee of former PTI leaders told Arab News it had organized a session on Wednesday, January 7, in the federal capital that will bring together all major political parties, journalists, lawyers and representatives of civil society.
“Our goal is to bring political leaders together so that, while discussing their own issues, they can collectively seek solutions to the nation’s challenges,” Mahmood Baqi Moulvi, a Pakistani politician and member of the committee, said.
“The initiative also builds on previous efforts, including a letter to the prime minister requesting confidence-building measures to enable talks with PTI,” he added.
The National Dialogue Committee had urged the government in the letter to grant parole to jailed party figures in Lahore, including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Dr. Yasmin Rashid, describing the move as vital for building trust ahead of negotiations.
It had also maintained such a step “would not only create an extremely positive, conducive, and trust-filled environment for the negotiations but would also lay a strong foundation for restoring mutual confidence among all stakeholders.”
While the government has also offered dialogue in the past, PTI leaders have conditioned participation on substantive measures, including what they describe as an end to politically motivated prosecutions and arrests, restoration of fundamental rights, respect for judicial independence and a credible roadmap toward free and fair elections.
“Reconciliation is possible, but it must be based on correcting injustices rather than managing optics,” Leghari said. “A genuine reset requires restoring respect for the Constitution, ending political victimization and allowing democratic processes to function without interference.”
Rana Sanaullah and Deputy Law Minister Barrister Aqeel Malik did not respond to requests for comment.
