By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A former senior official who had accused the country’s top judge and election commissioner of rigging the recent general elections retracted his allegations on Thursday, saying he was coerced by a fugitive leader of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Liaquat Ali Chattha, who served as the commissioner of Rawalpindi, a city near the capital, Islamabad, until last week, said in a statement to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that he was “extremely ashamed and embarrassed” over his claims and that he surrendered himself to the authorities for any legal action.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and surrender myself before the authorities for any kind of legal action,” he said in the statement.
Chattha resigned from his post on Feb. 17, after alleging that he had manipulated the poll results in favor of 13 candidates from Rawalpindi, under the pressure of the chief election commissioner and the chief justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa.
His explosive allegations had fueled the protests of Khan’s PTI party, which has been accusing the caretaker government and the state institutions of stealing its mandate and rigging the elections.
The election commission had formed a high-level committee to probe the allegations and had summoned Chattha to appear before it. However, before his appearance, Chattha issued a statement in which he confessed that he had acted under the influence of a senior PTI leader, who had promised him a lucrative position in the future.
He had secretly met the PTI leader in Lahore on Feb. 11, where he was offered to play a role in supporting the party’s narrative of election rigging and maligning the state institutions.
“This proposal was made by the said individual in consideration of the fact that I was about to retire from service. He was also aware of the fact that I was under pressure due to this forthcoming retirement. After having remained a part of the services for 32 years, it is naturally hard for any civil servant to let go of all perks, privileges, and authorities,” Chattha said.
According to Chattha, the plot involved him conducting a press conference, in which he would make sweeping and emotional statements, suggesting that he had manipulated the poll results from Rawalpindi, under the pressure of the chief election commissioner and the chief justice Isa.
“Initially, it was proposed by me that I would write the entire narrative and submit the same as part of my resignation. However, this proposal was dropped by the said prominent PTI leader as such written resignation would not create any sensations for their narrative building.”
Chattha said that he would also state that he had attempted to commit suicide and that he should be hanged in public, for the same purpose.
“These were well-thought statements which were made with the specific aim of creating drama and sensations, which aim was fulfilled to a large extent. … I was specifically asked by said prominent leader of PTI to name the CJP He told me that he had been specifically asked by his top leadership to do so. The aims behind naming the CJP were manifold.”
Chattha regretted his decision and apologized to the nation and the institutions for his “unforgivable mistake.”
“In the end, I feel extremely ashamed and embarrassed for making totally false, concocted, anti-state, and malicious statement in the press conference. This activity caused embarrassment for me as well as for the entire bureaucratic fraternity.”
The PTI did not immediately comment on Chattha’s retraction, but some of its leaders had earlier dismissed his allegations as baseless and fabricated. They had also accused the government of pressuring and blackmailing Chattha to change his stance.
The Feb. 8 elections were marred by allegations of irregularities, violence, and delays in the vote count.
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