Kayani assures CEC of army support for re-polling

Top level meeting between COAS Kayani and CEC Ebrahim held at GHQ in Rawalpindi.


Azam Khan May 16, 2013
The Army chief met with the CEC in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

ISLAMABAD: Ahead of re-polling on some polling stations of NA-250 in Karachi, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani assured Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim of the continuation of army's full support.

A top level meeting between the COAS and CEC was held at General Head Quarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

The army chief assured the CEC about the army’s support in the upcoming re-elections on different constituencies, particularly in some parts of Karachi where elections are to be conducted again due to problems the first time round.

A close aide of the CEC told The Express Tribune that Gen Kayani assured Ebrahim that the army will help facilitate fair, free and transparent elections.

Election on reserved seats for women in balance

Meanwhile, Secretary ECP, Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan told media persons that so far 110 complaints have been received by the commission in regards to poll rigging. A press release issued by the commission said that the secretary has drawn attention to a sub-clause of the Constitution of Pakistan, which mandates that the members to fill seats reserved for women which are allocated to a province shall be elected through Proportional Representation System of Political Parties’ lists of candidates on the basis of total number of general seats won by each political party from the province concerned in the National Assembly.

Sub-Clause (e) further provides that the members to fill seats reserved for non-Muslims shall be elected through Proportional Representation system of political parties list of candidates on the basis of total number of general seats owned by each political party in the National Assembly. The aforesaid provisions of the Constitution further provide that the total number of general seats shall include the independent returned candidate or candidates who may duly join such political party within three (3) days of the publication in the official Gazette of the names of the returned candidates.

The independent returned candidates are required to apply, after notification as returned candidates, to the leader of the political party for joining his party and the leader of the political party forthwith is required to inform the election commission of his joining through a letter to be delivered to the Election Commission in terms of sub-rule (5) of rule 3 of the national assembly and provincial assemblies allocation of reserved seats for women and non-Muslims (Procedure) Rules, 2002.

COMMENTS (7)

Ali | 11 years ago | Reply

@aamir-toronto Sir, please stop complaining and understand the facts. The role of Army / Rangers was to provide security (which they did in the best possible manner, otherwise the taliban wouldn't let it happen with bomb blasts) and not to stop rigging(army was not even allowed to get inside the polling stations). Stopping rigging was the role of ECP (in which it failed miserably.

K. Salim Jahangir | 11 years ago | Reply

One would agree with the thesis that Karachi & the Punjab were intentionally left unattended to achieve desired results.Holding meetings now is an exercise in futility.......The damage has been done & results achieved???????

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