PTI demands parliamentary panel for new CEC appointment

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday reiterated its demand for the government to form a parliamentary committee to appoint a new chief election commissioner (CEC), a day after Sikander Sultan Raja’s term ended.

PTI leader and opposition figure Omar Ayub wrote to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, urging him to establish the committee to ensure compliance with constitutional requirements.

“Sikander Sultan Raja’s term ended yesterday. He has no moral authority to continue. He and the two retired commissioners should step down immediately,” Ayub said on social media platform X.

Raja’s tenure was marked by controversy, including last year’s general election, which saw allegations of manipulated results, Internet blackouts, and delays. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) denied PTI’s claims, while the caretaker government attributed the disruptions to maintaining law and order.

Tensions between Imran Khan’s party and Raja peaked in August 2022, when the ECP ruled that PTI had received prohibited foreign funds, a charge the party denies. Later that year, the commission disqualified Khan from public office over undeclared assets, a verdict PTI rejected as politically motivated.

Imran Khan, jailed since August 2023 on multiple charges, was removed from office in April 2022 via a parliamentary vote. Once aligned with Pakistan’s powerful military, Khan has since accused it of supporting his political rivals, allegations the military denies.

The demand for a new CEC comes as political tensions between the PTI and the government escalate. PTI last week withdrew from talks, citing unmet demands for judicial commissions to investigate anti-government protests in May 2023 and November 2024, and the release of Khan and political prisoners.

The government’s negotiation team has pledged to respond to PTI’s demands by January 28, criticising the party for withdrawing from talks unilaterally. Meanwhile, calls for appointing a new election chief remain unresolved, further intensifying the political standoff.