RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: The Commissioner of Rawalpindi Division, Liaqat Ali Chatha, has resigned from his post after admitting that he rigged the February 8 elections in favor of some candidates.
In a shocking revelation, Chatha told the media on Saturday that he used fake stamps to change the votes of 13 candidates who were losing by 70,000 votes in Rawalpindi. He also claimed that he was acting on the orders of the Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, who were part of the conspiracy.
Chatha said that the elections were not just irregular, but completely fraudulent, and that there was no need for a re-election as the original results were recorded in Form 45. He also confessed that he tried to commit suicide after the morning prayers, but decided to expose the truth to the public instead. He urged the bureaucracy to resist the illegal demands of the politicians.
Chatha also accused the Returning Officers of being complicit in the rigging, saying that he forced them to alter the results despite their pleas. He said that the bureaucracy was still involved in putting on fake stamps.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has denied the allegations, saying that none of its officials ever instructed Chatha to tamper with the results. The ECP has vowed to conduct an immediate inquiry into the matter.
