Ex-Rawalpindi commissioner withdraws poll rigging allegations, blames PTI for press conference

Former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaqat Ali Chatha on Thursday withdrew allegations of election rigging he had made in a press conference last week, saying he was offered a “lucrative position” by a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader for the presser.

In a statement to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Chatha said he was “ashamed and embarrassed for making totally false, concocted, anti-state and malicious statement in the press conference”.

The development comes after the former commissioner on February 17 resigned from his post after taking responsibility for the alleged manipulation of election results held on February 8.

Addressing a presser at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium then, he had said that he failed to conduct fair and transparent elections in the Rawalpindi Division; therefore was stepping down from his office.

“I accept responsibility of rigging in Rawalpindi division and resigning from my post, as well as, surrendering myself to police,” he said then.

CM orders probe into Commissioner’s allegations

However, the ex-commissioner in his statement to the ECP took a U-turn saying he had made the move on instructions of a prominent PTI leader. As per his statement to the ECP, Chatha did not name any individual.

“Since my unwarranted press conference on 17th February 2024 has already created lot of chaos and mess in the country therefore I have abstained from naming the relevant individuals in my above statement,” he said.