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Rawalpindi Official Recants Rigging Claims, Apologizes

The Commissioner, in the rare press conference, had taken responsibility for the “rigging” that he claimed took place in Rawalpindi Division…reports Asian Lite News

Withdrawing all his allegations related to rigging in the February 8 general elections in Pakistan, former Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha said he was “extremely ashamed, embarrassed”, and claimed that he made the move in coordination with a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, a media report said.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and surrender myself before the authorities for any kind of legal action,” Chattha said in a statement to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Geo News reported.

In a dramatic development last Saturday, Chattha had tendered his resignation, which he said was out of “guilty conscience” for abetting large-scale electoral rigging in the garrison city, further raising the political mercury in the country.

The Commissioner, in the rare press conference, had taken responsibility for the “rigging” that he claimed took place in Rawalpindi Division.

“We converted the losers into winners with 50,000 votes margin,” he had stated.

In response to his allegations, the PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and other political parties — most of whom had already rejected the election results — demanded an investigation into the matter.

In the same presser, Chattha had also accused Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa of facilitating the rigging. Responding to his allegations, CJP Isa demanded the former commissioner to show evidence to back his allegations against him, Geo News reported.

However, retracting his allegations, Chattha revealed that all of this was done in coordination with the Imran Khan-founded PTI, which had also offered “lucrative positions for me in future”, Geo News reported

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Rawalpindi Commissioner Quits Over Rigging in Pakistan Elections

Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Liaquat Ali Chatta on Saturday resigned from his post in protest against electoral irregularities, local media reported.

Chatta made the announcement in a press conference at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

He admitted that “rigging” took place in Rawalpindi Division and took responsibility for it, Geo News reported.

“We convert the losers into winners with 50,000 votes margin. I did injustice to the people of Rawalpindi Division,” he claimed and surrendered himself before the police, Geo News reported.

“I apologise to the returning officers of my division,” he said, adding that his subordinates were crying about what they were directed to do.

Chattha claimed that even today the election staff are affixing fake stamps on the ballot papers.

“We wronged the country […] I should be executed in Rawalpindi’s Kachehri Chowk”, he lamented, Geo News reported.

Stressing that he was under pressure from social media and overseas Pakistanis, the official revealed that he even attempted suicide this morning.

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Islamabad, Rawalpindi suffer fuel shortage

Later, rebutted reports and clarified that the government has no plans to hike the price of petroleum products…reports Asian Lite News

Long queues have lined up outside petrol pumps in twin cities — Islamabad and Rawalpindi — after oil marketing companies (OMCs) stopped the supply of the essential commodity, the media reported.

A representative of the petrol pump association said that the supply has been stopped and tankers have lined up outside oil depots for refilling, Geo News reported.

The official asked the OMCs to restart the supply of petroleum products as if the reserves of the petrol pumps run out, then businesses will be severely affected.

“We are in talks with oil supply companies regarding the matter,” he added.

Meanwhile, Chairman Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) Abdul Sami Khan said that the reserves of the pumps are running shortly after “Finance Minister Miftah Ismail announced another probable hike in petrol prices”.

He maintained that the supply to the petrol pumps had not stopped yet, but due to the rush at the filling stations, their reserves might be exhausted soon, Geo News reported.

Later, rebutted reports and clarified that the government has no plans to hike the price of petroleum products.

“There will be no increase in prices today, and there is no summary or plan to raise prices,” the Pakistan finance minister said in a tweet after media reports quoted him as saying that petrol prices will move up further.

“In the pre-budget seminar I never even spoke about petroleum prices. Channels running these tickers are doing a disservice to their viewers,” the finance minister said.

In his address to the one-day long pre-budget business conference, Ismail said that had the government taken decisions in line with former prime minister Imran Khan and former Pakistan finance minister Shaukat Tarin’s deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the price of petrol would have stood at Rs 300 per litre.

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