The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has strongly denied accusations of bias made by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. In a statement, the ECP said his claims were false and misleading, and that the commission has acted according to the law.
The ECP clarified that Senator Ejaz Chaudhry and MNAs Ahmad Chattha and Ahmad Khan Bhachar were convicted by an anti-terrorism court, and those verdicts are still valid. The commission explained that no court has overturned these convictions, which is why action was taken under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution to de-notify them.
In the case of MNA Abdul Latif Chitrali, the ECP said it is different. Although Chitrali did not go to the Islamabad High Court himself, his co-accused did, and the court set aside the verdicts against them. Since Chitrali was not part of that appeal, the ECP issued him a notice asking him to assist in understanding whether the same relief applies to him or not.
Barrister Gohar had earlier posted on X (formerly Twitter), accusing the ECP of targeting PTI unfairly. He claimed that de-notifying PTI lawmakers showed bias and warned that such actions were a threat to democracy.
In response, the ECP stressed that all decisions are being made based on the Constitution and law, without any bias. The commission said that its responsibility is to ensure fair implementation of legal decisions, and it will continue to do so in a transparent way.
