Daily Times

Following the refusal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja to step down from his office, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry Sunday announced that the party will stage protest demonstrations outside the offices of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) across the country on April 26 against the conduct of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja.

Chaudhry, thorough his official Twitter account, said a meeting of the party’s political committee was held on Sunday wherein issues pertaining to the ECP were deliberated upon. He accused the CEC of being “partisan and dishonest” and alleged that a declaration to de-seat the PTI’s dissident assembly members still had not been issued by the ECP.

“In this connection, the PTI will hold a protest in front of the ECP offices across the country on Tuesday against the behaviour of the chief election commissioner,” Chaudhry said.

A day ago, PTI Chairman Imran Khan had asked the CEC to step down, saying the party believed him to be “biased”. Addressing a press conference at his Bani Gala residence, Imran had said the PTI did not trust the CEC, alleging all his decisions were against the party.

Last week, he had also 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.

Earlier, Raja, who was appointed in January 2020 by a joint parliamentary panel, said he had no plans to step down and would continue to work as the head of the election watchdog. He made these comments while talking to a local media outlet Saturday night.

“I am working in the best interest of the country and shall continue to do so,” he added. Raja’s statement had come on the heels of remarks by former prime minister Imran Khan, wherein he sought the resignation of the CEC for being “biased” towards his party.