'Extremely ashamed, embarrassed': ex-Rawalpindi commissioner Chatha withdraws election rigging allegations

Reports that Liaquat Ali Chatha recorded a statement before the Election Commission of Pakistan on 22 February 2024 withdrawing every allegation of rigging he had made about Rawalpindi division, describing the claims as 'totally false, concocted, anti-state, and malicious'. He said a senior PTI figure, whom he did not name, had told him he would 'ensure a lucrative position for me in future', and that after travelling 'secretly and discreetly' to Lahore on 11 February he was asked to make the allegations publicly to create 'sensations and drama augmenting false narratives' — including naming the Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa, and the Chief Election Commissioner, Sikandar Sultan Raja. He added that he took full responsibility and surrendered himself for any legal action.