KP CM Gandapur demands commission to probe cipher, election rigging

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has called for the setting up of a judicial commission to probe the cipher case and alleged electoral irregularities in the recent general elections.

Speaking at a public rally in Peshawar on Sunday, the chief minister asserted that a conspiracy had been devised to remove the PTI-led federal government in 2022. Notably, PTI founder Imran Khan was removed from the prime minister’s office through a no-confidence motion in April 2022.

CM Gandapur emphasized the need for Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa to promptly set up a judicial commission to investigate the cipher case. He also raised concerns about alleged electoral manipulation in the February 8 general elections, stating that PTI’s victory was reflected in the Form 45s and called for a judicial inquiry into any potential tampering of results.

Furthermore, Gandapur criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision not to allocate reserved seats to Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), labeling the distribution of claimed seats for minorities and women among other political parties as illegal and unconstitutional.

Earlier in the day, PTI leaders Salman Akram Raja and Sardar Latif Khosa were detained as party members staged nationwide protests against the alleged rigging in the February 8 general elections and the purported theft of the mandate. PTI supporters took to the streets in various cities, including Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Karachi, Kandhkot, and Tank.

According to a PTI spokesperson, the populace would not tolerate the appointment of “proven, most corrupt persons” as the president and prime minister of the country against their wishes.