The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has strongly rejected the allegations of bias made by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. The ECP termed his claims as baseless and misleading, stating that all actions taken by the commission are strictly according to the Constitution and the law.
An ECP spokesperson clarified that an anti-terrorism court had convicted Senator Ejaz Chaudhry and MNAs Ahmad Chattha and Ahmad Khan Bhachar. Their convictions still stand, and no court has overturned the verdicts against them. Therefore, the ECP acted legally in de-notifying their memberships.
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The ECP further explained that the case of MNA Abdul Latif Chitrali is different. While he did not appeal his case, his co-accused did approach the Islamabad High Court, which later set aside the anti-terrorism court’s verdict for them. Since Chitrali did not file a similar petition, the ECP issued him a notice, asking him to clarify whether the same legal relief applies to his case.
Earlier, Barrister Gohar accused the ECP of showing partiality against PTI, citing the recent de-notifications under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution as proof of unfair treatment. He warned that such actions threaten democratic values. However, the ECP maintained that it is following due legal process in all decisions.