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Pakistan's judicial commission rejects election rigging charges

Xinhua, July 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

A judicial commission in Pakistan, formed to investigate the alleged rigging in the 2013 parliamentary elections, has rejected the allegations of organized rigging, lawyers said late Wednesday.

Shahid Hamid, a senior lawyer who represented the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) told the media that the three- member judicial commission has handed over its report to the government.

Hamid said the commission has rejected the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's three main charges organized rigging, stealing mandate of the people and unfair elections.

PTI staged a 126-day sit-in in Islamabad that created a political crisis in the country last year. At one stage, the PTI lawmakers resigned from the National Assembly, Lower House of the parliament; however, the Speaker did not accept the resignations.

PTI chief Imran Khan called off the sit-in after the Taliban militants attacked an army-run school in Peshawar, killing 150 people, nearly all children.

PTI and the government agreed on formation of the judicial commission to investigate the alleged rigging.

Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Nasirul Mulk, headed the three-member bench comprising Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Ejaz Afzal.

The commission was formed through an ordinance on April 1 and it has prepared the report after 85-day hearing. The commission was constituted after a series of meetings between PTI and the government.

It was the first time Pakistan has formed such a commission to investigate rigging in elections.

PTI chief Imran Khan had earlier stated that he would accept the verdict of the judicial commission. Imran Khan and his party have not yet commented on the report. They are expected to issue a formal reaction on Thursday.

Almost all opposition parties had submitted their "proofs" of alleged rigging.

The government is likely to release the report to media, official sources said.

Legal experts say the report cannot be challenged in court.

The commission was tasked only to investigate the issue and prepare a report on the basis of available evidence.

It is widely believed that the report will put an end to the debate of the alleged rigging in the general elections. Endi