‘Election date announced without my input’

G-B CEC says interim chief minister did not inform or consult him.

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan chief election commissioner (CEC) Tahir Ali Shah has denied he was consulted to finalise the date for legislative elections.

Shah’s comments come in response to a statement made by Caretaker Chief Minister Sher Jehan Mir on Friday in which he said elections will be held on June 8 as decided in consultation with the CEC.

“I have not been consulted by anyone, including the caretaker chief minister,” said Shah during a press conference at his office on Sunday. “The interim chief minister has not visited my office even once.”



Shah added he would announce the date, along with the schedule of elections, next month. However, preparations to hold the polls in June were in full swing at their end, he said.

Tahir Shah, a former justice, said his office has been working independently and would ensure transparent polls in the region at all cost. “Nobody has tried to influence me and I will not accept any external pressure,” he said. “I would rather resign than give in to doing anything wrong.”

Total registered votes

According to the draft voters lists, the total number of votes registered in 24 constituencies of G-B is 617,000, of which 328,000 are men and 289,000 are women.

“The lists are displayed for correction and we will finalise them once they are sent back to us by the relevant officials,” said Shah. “The lists have been put up in at least 200 display centres across G-B for voters to easily check their details and report mistakes if they find any.”

Measures taken

For the first time in G-B, said Shah, photos of voters would be pasted on the voters’ lists to prevent fake votes. In addition, the candidates contesting for the elections would be scrutinised under articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan. The two articles deal with qualifications of the members of Parliament and the grounds for disqualification respectively.

“These measures have been made for the first time in the region so that clear and transparent elections are carried out.” He said the army has provided a helicopter to transport equipment and staff to remote valleys of G-B.

Previous elections ‘illegal’

The CEC said the elections of 2009 and the by-elections held thereafter were all illegal as there were no rules in place for the then CEC to follow the process.

“When I assumed office I was shocked to see there were no rules set for an election process,” said Shah. “Although it was not my duty to make laws, I set some in light of the G-B Self-governance Order 2009 and the Constitution and got them approved.”

He complained his office was facing acute shortage of resources, saying he does not have a personal secretary or a spokesperson.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2015.