PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan strongly deplored “unabated and rising incidents of openly harassing and attacking proposers and seconders the PTI candidates 
Newly-elected PTI Chairman Gohar Khan talks to the media as he arrives to attend a hearing at the High Court in Islamabad on August 29, 2023. — AFP
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Saturday strongly deplored the “unabated and rising incidents of openly harassing and attacking proposers and seconders the PTI candidates.”
The PTI chairman tweeted, “Today, the first step towards general elections (scrutiny of nomination forms for general seats) is coming to an end. But state machinery is being used against PTI’s candidates whose proposers and seconders or they themselves are being openly harassed, assaulted and pushed back from ROs’ offices.”
Gohar pointed out that this was the worst kind of misuse of authority and abuse of process, as it was a flagrant failure of the ECP in performance of its constitutional duties. “We strongly condemn and deplore this. But tigers to stay steadfast till February 08 and thereafter,” he added.
Meanwhile, PTI’s Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan Saturday strongly criticized the rejection of nomination papers of PTI candidates on “flimsy grounds”, asking the Supreme Court to take notice of the matter to frustrate the nefarious plan to manipulate the polls.
Reacting vehemently to the rejection of PTI candidates’ nomination papers, he termed it the worst interference in the election process and open state terrorism. He said that with the way the state apparatus has first obstructed the submission of papers and then maneuvered to have the nomination papers of PTI candidates rejected on fake and flimsy grounds “speaks volumes of the fraudulent elections that we are headed for”.
The PTI central information secretary said that tactic of coercion, including harassment, intimidation and abduction to debar the PTI candidates from filing their nomination papers were being used by the state machinery. He regretted that the ROs were busy in rejecting their nomination papers on flimsy grounds and this rendered the entire electoral process questionable, thus liable to be challenged before appropriate forums, including the courts of the country.
“Besides delaying the holding of elections, the plan re-establishes to keep PTI out of the parliament,” he charged. He asserted that such a process will lack legitimacy and would be summarily rejected in the court of people. “This may also lead to onset of violence but PTI would not retreat from the electoral field come what may,” adding that depriving the people of their basic constitutional right to vote was a nefarious plan to plunge the country into the worst chaos and internal strife.
He demanded that the Supreme Court should take immediate notice of the situation to protect Pakistan’s reputation, identity, Constitution and democracy. “There is yet time to let sanity return to the fold and take steps to ensure holding of free, fair and inclusive elections to facilitate a genuinely elected government, which is fully mandated by the people to take over,” he said.
Raoof said that all other ill-conceived concoctions will not only be short-lived, they will also raise serious questions about the wisdom of power-wielders, insisting Pakistan deserves better. He underlined that free, fair and transparent polls were the sole answer to steer the ship of the state, which has been sailing in troubled waters, towards calmer shores.
