ECP will always make decisions ‘fearlessly’, vows CEC Raja

ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja on Wednesday said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is “always ready for elections” as he stressed it will continue to make decisions without fear.

“The election commission makes its decisions fearlessly and it will continue to do so. If anyone is displeased by or disagrees with the decisions, it’s their problem,” he said during an informal talk with reporters following the administration of oath to two new members of the ECP. He was asked to respond to allegations of bias against the electoral watchdog.

The CEC said that “everyone is our friend” and the ECP makes decisions according to the law and Constitution.

The PTI has accused Raja and the election commission of bias, with former prime minister Imran Khan frequently calling on him to resign. On May 11, the party announced plans to file a reference against Raja, with Fawad Chaudhry saying the “biggest political party had lost trust in him”.

On April 16, PTI leader and former human rights minister Dr Shireen Mazari had blamed the ECP for what she said was his “bias” against the party, a day after the commission had announced that would hold daily hearings of the foreign funding case against the PTI. Three days later, Imran had claimed that Raja’s name for the CEC office was suggested by the establishment.

The former prime minister had alleged that Raja’s name was proposed by the establishment after a deadlock between the then-government and the opposition, suggesting the chief election commissioner should be appointed through an independent body.

Imran had stated that the PTI would file a reference against the CEC, as the ECP had displayed “incompetence” by not completing the delimitation of constituencies on time, which delayed early elections.

At a rally held in Lahore on April 21, the PTI chairman had reiterated allegations of Raja being biased, stating that his leanings were so obvious that “he should be given a PML-N office position”.

He had gone on to demand CEC Raja’s resignation on April 23, when he had said at a press conference at his Banigala residence that the PTI did not trust the CEC because all his decisions were against the party.

On April 26, the PTI had staged prote…sts outside ECP offices across the country.

Meanwhile, CEC Raja had maintained that he was working in the best interest of the country and that there was no reason for him to resign.

For their part, the PML-N and PPP had accused the PTI chairperson of attacking state institutions to get decisions of his choice.