RTS Failure: Cabinet Division Refuses To Constitute Committee

Cabinet Division on Saturday repudiated Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) request to constitute a parliamentary committee on the failure of Result Transmission System (RTS) during recently-concluded General Elections 2018.

The Cabinet Division penned a reply to ECP along with recommendations of law ministry.Sources privy to ECP told that division recommended electoral body to directly pen a letter to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in this regard. The reply further states that cabinet division does not have jurisdiction to constitute any such committee.On the other hand, officials at ECP asserted Cabinet Division is bound to implement electoral body’s orders under Constitution’s Article 220. They further asserted Cabinet Division should not have sought recommendations of law ministry.

The proposed committee is supposed to ascertain the causes behind RTS failure and those responsible for it in four weeks.

Earlier yesterday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senator Azam Swati has demanded a forensic audit of the issue while stating the failure of the system has cast doubts on the transparency of the matter.