Local elections: ECP must stick with new poll date, says PTI

Ejaz Chaudhry said that the ECP and provincial governments should complete all the required arrangements in time.

LAHORE:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should ensure that the local government elections are held according to the new schedule and there is no further delay, said PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Chaudhry said that the ECP and provincial governments should complete all the required arrangements in time. The ECP should also ensure that all irregularities in the delimitation process for new union council boundaries are addressed, he added.

He accused the PML-N of gerrymandering in the delimitation process. The ECP and the Supreme Court should appoint judicial officers to review the delimitation decisions made by the divisional commissioners. All objections and queries should be addressed on merit, he said, adding that the PTI would not allow the provincial government to “bulldoze the process”.

Chaudhry said that the ECP should make sure that ballot papers are printed from the government press, magnetic ink is used in the voting process and results are announced immediately after completion of counting at polling stations in order to prevent any rigging. He said that the civil administration could not be trusted to be impartial so the subordinate judiciary should supervise the polls.

He said that the postponement of the polls had given the PTI more time to organise its campaign. The party would grant tickets to clean candidates, he said.

Welfare and relief committees

The PTI set up an Insaf Welfare and Relief Committee here on Wednesday at a meeting led by General Secretary Dr Yasmin Rashid. The committee, Dr Rashid said, would run several food programmes, set up free medical camps for the poor, help poor children in rural areas go to school and get books, and help provide clean drinking water in underdeveloped areas of the province.

She said that up to 40% of the population of Pakistan lived below the poverty line, 65% had no access to clean drinking water, and 40% lived on one meal a day. The problems of the poor had increased rapidly alongside rising prices, she said.

The welfare and relief committee is headed by Sadqa Saabdad and Dr Seemi Bukhari serves as general secretary.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2013.