As the movement against vote rigging in the February 8 general elections has gained momentum, Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha has quit after accepting responsibility for changing results of the elections in the garrison city.
Speaking to reporters at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Chattha said there was “pressure” on him to the extent that he contemplated suicide today but then resolved to present matters before the public. He said, “It is my request to the entire bureaucracy to not do anything wrong for all these politicians.”
The senior official said that election results in all 13 National Assembly constituencies in the Rawalpindi Division were manipulated and the candidates who were winning by a margin of 70,000 votes lost the elections. He said that he is quitting due to his role in manipulation of election results and surrender to the police for any legal action against him.
Chattha said that Chief Election Commissioner Raja Sikandar Sultan and Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa too were involved in manipulating the February 8 General Elections in Pakistan. He said that he can’t sleep after “stabbing the country in its back”. “I should be punished for the injustice I have done and others who were involved in this injustice should also be punished,” he told reporters.
Resignation.
Commissioner Rawalpindi @MarioNawfal pic.twitter.com/0BOkS6ZCei— Arslan Baloch (@balochi5252) February 17, 2024
Police have already imposed Section 144 in the federal capital Islamabad and warned people against become part of any illegal campaign. The move prevents gatherings and is coinciding with PTI’s protest call over what they say are rigged elections.
اسلام آباد میں امن عامہ کے قیام اور دفعہ 144 کی عملداری یقینی بنانے اسلام آباد کیپیٹل پولیس کے جوان اور افسران شہر بھر میں اپنے فرائض سر انجام دے رہے ہیں ۔
عوام الناس کو متنبہ کیا جاتا ہے کہ کسی غیر قانونی عمل کا حصہ نہ بنیں۔#ICTP pic.twitter.com/dzMXcLUy5s— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) February 17, 2024
Several political parties took to the street after the election results poured in on completion of the voting process on February 8. Challenging the election results, which saw its affiliated candidates emerging as the largest group by winning 93 National Assembly seats, the PTI announced countrywide “peaceful protests” against what it termed “record-high rigging” during the recently-concluded general elections.