11th of May black day in history & ECP response for rigged elections: PAT

Addressing the meeting of the Central Working Council, PAT Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur has said that an unconstitutionally composed Election Commission presided over sham elections on this day, May 11, three years ago and the members of the ECP who conducted the elections are getting salaries to date. He said that whole nation is bearing the brunt of fraudulent elections. He said that we consider May 11 as the black day. He further stated that Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri staged historic long march for establishment of constitutional Election Commission and electoral reforms. He said that even those who inked written agreement with PAT regarding reforms but deviated from it are also expressing their regret today.

The CWC meeting was attended by Khawaja Amir Fareed Koreja, Basharat Jaspal, Fayyaz Warraich, Ahmad Nawaz Anjum, GM Malik, Jawad Hamid, Dr Tanveer Azam Sandhu, Noorullah Saddiqi, Sajid Bhatti, Tanveer Khan, Mazhar Alvi, Irfan Yousaf and Ayesha Mubashir.

The meeting also reviewed preparations about observance of June 17 as the Martyrs’ Day and return of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri and formed various committees. A resolution was adopted in the meeting which condemned increase in duration of load-shedding and price hike. It was demanded that the holy month of fasting should be declared as load-shedding free. Another resolution asked the government to immediately release the report of the judicial commission on the Model Town tragedy. It said that security of VIPs should be withdrawn and protection be extended to life and property of the masses.

Khurram Nawaz Gandapur said that on January 17, 2013, the then government signed a written agreement with PAT. The agreement consisted of five-points wherein the rulers promised to carry out electoral reforms and steps for transparent elections. They then backtracked on the agreement resulting in establishment of the government with a fake mandate. He said that one of the points of the agreement was that one month’s time would be devoted to scrutiny of the candidates in the light of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution and unless the process of scrutiny of the papers is completed, they would not be allowed to run election campaigns but this was violated as well.

Khurram Nawaz Gandapur said that it was agreed that the conduct of fair and free elections would be ensured in the light of relevant constitutional provisions together with People’s Representation Act and the constitutionally composed ECP would eliminate every form of rigging. It was also agreed that the Supreme Court’s judgement of June 8, 2012 would be implemented in letter and spirit for conduct of transparent elections. He said that not even a single provision of the agreement was put into practice and those who backtracked on the agreement and the ECP are responsible for chaos that we see around us.