JI, GDA hail SC verdict, demand resignation of chief election commissioner

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) have hailed the Supreme Court's (SC) Friday decision on reserved parliamentary seats and called for the resignation of the chief election commissioner.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday at the Idara Noor-e-Haq, JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman termed the SC verdict breath of fresh air, and demanded the constitution of a judicial commission to investigate the controversy of Form 45 and Form 47.

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had lost all moral grounds after the SC ruling, and the entire ECP should go packing.

The JI leader said Form 45 was a constitutional document and it provided the basis for the constitution of a democratically elected government.

He added that in the presence of Form 45, there was no need for any re-elections and all that was needed to be done was the rectification of the controversial Form 47 according to the Form 45.

The JI chief also questioned the political parties who had taken advantage of the situation. He said political parties who had been chanting slogans against the establishment earlier, chose to enjoy the reserved seats they did not deserve and became a part of the ‘Form 47 assemblies’.

Rehman also berated the government for excessive electricity bills. He said that the regime had been increasing the electricity tariff at the behest of the International Monetary Fund and to please a particular sector, apparently for kickbacks.

He said the JI would hold a historical sit-in on July 26 in Islamabad.

He also shed light on the issue of independent power producers (IPPs). He said that it was a network of corruption that looted the nation in the name of capacity charges.

He blamed the regimes since 1994 for the issue of IPPs. The JI chief also decried lawlessness in Sindh during the press conference.

GDA statement

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Saturday, GDA Secretary General Dr Safdar Abbasi also hailed the SC verdict and remarked that it would strengthen the democratic traditions in the country.

He said all political forces should wholeheartedly embrace the apex court’s verdict. The GDA demanded that all the members of the ECP, including the chief election commissioner, resign, he said.

Dr Abbasi remarked that the SC ruling had proved that the 2024 general elections were bogus and rigged. He added that the GDA had already rejected the polls terming them fraudulent.

The longer the system that came into being as a result of the 2024 elections was allowed to run, the more the country would suffer economic and constitutional damage, the GDA leader said.

He said people had now come to know how the ECP imposed ‘selected’ rulers in the country. He added that the GDA wanted fresh elections in the country immediately after dissolution of the National and provincial assemblies.