2013 polls conducted ‘fairly and in accordance with law’: JC report

ISLAMABAD: A three-judge inquiry commission investigating alleged rigging in the 2013 general election has stated in its final report that the polls were “organized and conducted fairly and in accordance with the law”.

Noting lapses by the Election Commission of Pakistan, the three-judge commission states in the report that “it cannot be said…that the elections were not a true and fair reflection of the mandate given by the electorate”.

Excerpts from the report, copies of which are available with Geo News, also state that allegations against those claimed to be involved in a systematic plan or design to manipulate or influence the election “also remained unsubstantiated by the evidence on record”.

The text from the conclusion part of the 274-page report has been reproduced below.

"The Commission is of the view that the PTI was not entirely unjustified in requesting the establishment of a body to inquire into its suspicions and allegations regarding the 2013 general elections. However after the recording of evidence and carefully going through all the material placed on record the Commission finds as under in respect of each TOR.

TOR 3(a).
Taking into account all the evidence on record, notwithstanding in the Report, the 2013 general elections were in large part organized and conducted fairly and in accordance with the law.

TOR 3(b).
The plan or design to manipulate or influence the election has not been disclosed with any degree of specification by any of the parties to the proceedings nor is it discernible from the material place before the Commission. Allegations against those allegedly involved in the plan/design also remained unsubstantiated by the evidence on record.

TOR 3(c)
When the entire context of the elections are considered along with the meaning of overall basis, despite some lapses by the ECP it cannot be said on the evidence before the Commission that on an overall basis the elections were not a true and fair reflection of the mandate given by the electorate."

The three main allegations leveled by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) included organised rigging in the 2013 general elections, non-transparent polling and theft of the public mandate.


Read in detail: Judicial Commission rejects all three rigging charges by PTI

The judicial commission report has been made available on the Law Ministry’s website