ISLAMABAD:
PTI chief Imran Khan’s rigging allegations against Geo have baffled many
as to how a TV channel could change the results of elections by airing
the speech of a leader which was also telecast by all other major
channels. Seasoned journalist Iftikhar Ahmad, who headed Geo’s election
transmission, has challenged Imran to have a debate so that his
allegations could be better judged.
Addressing a press
conference on Friday, days after the star anchor of the channel Hamid
Mir was shot six times, Imran said Geo played a role in rigging by
airing the speech of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif at around 11.23pm on May
11, 2013, more than six hours after completion of polling process.
However,
Imran did not explain as to why other channels did not commit any
rigging by airing the same speech of Nawaz Sharif at the same time.
Imran
whose party is governing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, conveniently
ignored the fact that immediately after Mr Sharif’s speech on May 11,
Geo also aired a “victory announcement” by senior PTI leader Asad Umar
who claimed that his party would form government in the KP.
“If
we go by the logic of Imran Khan how can (PTI MNA) Asad Umar tell
before the completion of counting that PTI would form government in KP?”
asked Iftikhar Ahmad who headed the Geo’s election transmission.
“How
can Geo be held responsible for change in the election results for
airing the speech of Nawaz Sharif six hours after the polling time? Only
workers of the political party (PTI) could be held responsible for
leaving the polling stations before the announcement of results as it
was their job to oversee the counting process and get a signed copy of
result from the polling staff,” he added.
The seasoned
journalist said it was an international practice that media outlets keep
their cameras and other devices at the offices of political parties to
cover any possible development during and after the elections,” he said.
Iftikhar
Ahmad also challenged Imran to hold a live debate with him on
allegations of rigging against Geo. “Let us have a live debate on the
issue so that people can decide what had actually happened.”
He
also recalled that Geo also aired PTI’s allegation of rigging in Hamid
Mir’s talk show at around midnight on May 11 and party’s senior leader
Arif Alvi was given ample time to voice his opinion on the issue.
According
to election experts, usually the results of majority of seats are known
to contesting candidate within a couple of hours of polling even before
the official announcement.“The party which has polling agents present
in the polling stations can get the idea of results within two to three
hours as the entire counting process takes place in front of all the
polling agents and presiding officer is allowed to give a signed copy of
result to each polling agent,” said Kanwar Dilshad who remained the
longest serving Secretary of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Dilshad
said it is not difficult for the leaders of major political parties and
journalists to get the unofficial results prior to announcement by the
ECP.“Normally the Commission does not announce the unofficial and
unconfirmed results until it receives complete result from each and
every polling station,” he said.
But after the voting,
leaders of political parties usually maintain contact with their
candidates who keep getting immediate results from every polling station
through their respective polling agents, Dilshad added.
