Islamabad: After months of hectic parleys, Pakistan government and the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Friday agreed on setting up a judicial commission to probe alleged rigging in 2013 general elections that were comprehensively won by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N.
The agreement signed between the two sides ended more than seven months of political tension in the country which created uncertainty and damaged economic revival.
The agreement was signed by the representatives of the two sides who later also spoke to the media. Finance minister Ishaq Dar, who led the government's side in talks with opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), said all contentious issues have been agreed upon and a judicial commission will probe the alleged fraud in the election. Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, representing PTI, said both sides had showed flexibility to resolve the issues.
The judicial commission will inquire and determine whether or not the 2013 elections were organised, conducted impartially, honestly, fairly and justly in accordance with law or were they rigged in systematic manner.
Khan had alleged that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of Sharif had rigged the 2013 polls, depriving PTI of several seats. He had asked the government to set up an independent commission to probe the charges.
The government rejected the allegations, prompting PTI to launch a massive protest in the capital last August, creating friction with the government. Due to the protests in the capital, Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip was cancelled in September.
It is believed that the end of tension between the government and PTI would stabilise the government and help the economy to grow. It will also bring back the lawmakers of PTI to the Parliament as they had resigned last year but the Speaker of the National Assembly had refused to accept the decision.
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