In a complete turnaround from his earlier statement, Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaquat Ali Chatha has told the Election Commission of Pakistan that he made his statement about rigging in elections at the behest of a leader belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He has also admitted that his statement regarding elections was false.

“In the end, I feel extremely ashamed and embarassed for making totally false, concocted, anti-state and malicious statement in the press conference,” Chatha told the ECP in a statement.

In an explosive press conference last Saturday, Chatha said that he had asked Returning Officers to change election results in the Rawalpindi division. In response, the ECP had formed an investigative committee to probe the claims.

However, in his statement to the Commission, Chatha said that he had cultivated a relationship with a PTI leader during the party’s tenure in Punjab.

He added that the PTI leader, who was not named, was implicated in the violent protests of May 9 as well and was in hiding after being declared a proclaimed offender.

Chatha thena dded that he had a meeting with the PTI leader in Lahore three days after the general election.

“It was in this meeting that he made an offer to me that if I play a role for supporting the PIT’s ongoing narrative of rigging in the GE and maligning state institutions, he would ensure a lucrative position for me in the future,” he said.

The Commissioner claimed that a detailed written resignation had been discussed but the idea was dropped as it would not create ‘sensations’. He also claimed that the date and time of the press conference had been made with approval of PTI leadership.

“The primary aim of this proposed press conference was to create sensations and drama augmenting false narratives being built by the PTI,” he stated.

Chatha said that he used a press conference called for PSL to give ‘sweeping’ statements to claim that seats were being won by PTI and results were changed.

He also added that the chief justice did not have any role in the elections and his name had been taken to create mistrust against him.

Chatha clarified that he had not given any instructions to ROs regarding rigging in elections and had not received any instructions from the chief election commissioner either.