ECP strongly rejected the allegations leveled by federal ministers

 ECP decided to issue notices to Fawad Chaudhry and Azam Swati for leveling serious allegations against it

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to issue notices to Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry and Railways Minister Azam Khan Swati. Both ministers leveled serious allegations of bribery and siding with opposition parties against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and the commission.

This decision was taken at a meeting of ECP chaired by CEC Raja Sikandar Sultan on Tuesday to discuss the matter of allegations levelled by the federal ministers. ECP members Nisar Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, and other officials of the commission attended the meeting. The members condemned the allegations "in the strongest possible terms" and rejected them.

The commission decided to seek proof backing the accusations by Swati, which were levelled during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee for Parliamentary Affairs and another held the night prior at the President House, and those by Chaudhry which were levelled during a press conference.

The ECP has also sought records of the Presidential House and Senate Standing Committee meetings and Chaudhry’s press conference from Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.

On Friday, the ECP officials had walked out of a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs after Swati accused the commission of taking money from companies that make electronic voting machines.

Later on the day, Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said during a press conference that it seems the ECP has "become the headquarters for Opposition parties" and the chief election commissioner is "acting as their mouthpiece".

                                                            Rukhsana Manzoor Deputy Editor