Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Senator Azam Swati Friday said the sudden failure of result transmission system (RTS) on the election day has cast doubts over the transparency of the election results, therefore a forensic audit should be conducted into the alleged failure.
At a press conference along with Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Swati said an investigation should be carried out to ascertain the person or group involved in the act, and asked NADRA chairman to resign to ensure transparency in the investigation process. He said the Election Commission of Pakistan(ECP) and NADRA’s statements are contrary to each other, adding that the ECP should prove that the polls were free and fair.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that Nawaz Sharif and his family’s travel expenses ran in the billions. He said a notification to recover the amount would be sent to Hassan, Hussain and Maryam Nawaz. Since Nawaz himself had prime ministerial privileges, the matter of his own expenses will be dealt with later, he added.
The minister alleged that Hasan, Hussain and Maryam Nawaz had misused state funds and travelled illegally in two private planes and a helicopter. The use of two private jets, namely the G4 and G450, cost the state to the tune of Rs17.15 million. These jets were used by the ousted prime minister’s children in his absence and for personal affairs, to travel in between their Jati Umra residence, Lahore and other locations.
Chaudhry said that the use of the helicopter has been calculated separately. He said Hamza Shahbaz and others misused the Punjab government’s copter. The costs incurred by Nawaz’s children in this regard stands at Rs6.23 million. He revealed that details of these illegal expenditures were recovered from a log book and that the total bill amounts to around Rs25 million which will be sent to Nawaz Sharif for recovery.
Published in Daily Times, September 1st 2018.
