ECP ready for tit for tat response to Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday decided not to get “bullied” by any political party or leader and thus reached a consensus decision to convey to the PTI that the constitutional body was not liable to give any explanation to any private individual or entity.
The ECP top bosses took an exception to the language and attitude of the PTI leadership towards the commission members and noted how could a political party seek an explanation from the constitutional body.
They also rejected Imran Khan’s demand that the commission members should step down but welcomed the PTI’s move to take the matter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).
They said it was a matter of satisfaction that the PTI and Imran Khan were now resorting to legal and constitutional means to get any commission member removed. The commission also drafted and finalised a one-page harsh letter, which is likely to be sent to the PTI on Tuesday (today) wherein the party would be told that the ECP was a constitutional body not liable to give “report” or “explanation” to any politician or a political party.
Senior spokesman for the ECP, when contacted on Monday evening, avoided denying or confirming the ECP’s decision about sending a one-page letter to the PTI; however, sources insist that a consensus draft letter was finalised to “snub” the PTI and its top leadership.
Celebrating the recent election tribunal’s verdict, Imran Khan had warned that his party would stage another sit-in outside the ECP if it failed to respond to the PTI’s July 30 letter.
An official source said the commission members were very upset about the PTI leadership’s vilification campaign against them. It was discussed that the PTI top leadership’s attitude was like bullying the commission members, who had so far been patiently ignoring it.
The sources said it was discussed that instead of ignoring the vilification campaign, there was a need to catch the bull by the horn. The ECP decided that instead of giving point-wise “explanation” to the PTI as was sought by it in a six-page letter recently sent to the CEC, a one-page letter would be sent to the PTI.
“The commission would neither offer any explanation nor submit any report to the PTI,” a source said, adding that instead the PTI would be conveyed that the commission had done what was legal and constitutional.
It was also discussed that following the Judicial Commission Inquiry Report on the 2013 General Elections, the ECP had not only introduced reforms on its own but also recommended a set of legal and constitutional changes to parliament.