THERE is universal consensus among neutral observers that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), under its dynamic Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, is discharging its responsibilities and functions strictly according to the law and the Constitution.
This should have been welcomed by all those who want to see the Commission as truly independent and neutral but this highly commendable trait of the ECP is being portrayed as its ‘crime’ by some vested political interests.
The incumbent CEC was nominated by the PTI Government and the then opposition also endorsed his name for the coveted slot because of track record of Sikandar Sultan Raja as a man of principles and integrity and then Federal Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad had publicly praised his appointment citing his personal experience of working with him in the Railway Ministry.
In this backdrop, the demand for his resignation and the call given by PTI to its workers to hold protest demonstrations outside offices of the ECP throughout Pakistan against the conduct of the CEC are nothing but a political gimmick to pressurise the Commission unduly and that too at a time when it is going to wrap up proceedings of the foreign funding case within one month as per instruction of Islamabad High Court.
In fact, campaign against the Commission and the incumbent CEC began when they took legal and constitutional position over the massive rigging of Daska by-elections.
The venomous propaganda was taken to new heights when the Commission adopted a realistic stand on the issue of introduction of EVMs for the next general election and expressed its inability to hold elections immediately after Imran Khan unconstitutionally and illegally advised the President to dissolve the National Assembly.
As for foreign funding case, the ECP, in fact, indirectly favoured PTI by allowing the proceedings to linger on for years on flimsy grounds but now it has to expedite the process under directions of the court.
It is unfortunate that instead of appreciating the independent conduct of the institutions they are being intimidated and maligned for personal and party interests.
The nation surely stands with the Commission and the CEC and they should continue to perform their duties without fear or favour.
