Inquiry commission recommends next elections in Karachi should be held under Army's supervision

Commission says that MQM may have employed intimidation in a few constituencies against MQM-H, JI


Hasnaat Mailk July 23, 2015
Inquiry commission recommends that next elections in the city should be held under supervision of Pakistan Army. PHOTO: PPI

ISLAMABAD: While the inquiry commission formed to probe the May 2013 general elections stated that by and large the elections were fair and as per law, it has recommended that the Election Commission of Pakistan should consider holding next elections in Karachi under the supervision of the Army.  

The recommendation was made in view of the concerns expressed by certain political parties that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had used intimidation to manipulate elections result in the port city, in addition to challenges of law and order.

“Due to the prevailing law and order situation in Karachi, unless this dramatically improves by the time of the next election, the ECP should seriously consider holding the elections in Karachi under the supervision of the Army so that such grievances can be avoided in the future”, the commission’s 237-page report says.

Read: 2013 elections: Inquiry panel rejects rigging allegations

The report further states that there is evidence to suggest that in certain constituencies in Karachi the organisation and conduct of the election at a few polling stations, areas was not entirely fair or in complete accordance with the law. It added that “on balance it cannot be found that the elections in Karachi were not in large part fair and in accordance with the law.”

“There is little evidence to support the Jamaat-e-Islami's contention that the MQM had any part to play in interfering with or influencing the electoral rolls.”

The commission further stated that with regards to Karachi, at best aberrations have only been cast on 27 out of 35 seats (NA and PA combined), whilst Sindh (including Karachi) consists of 191 combined NA and PA seats, adding that these allegations therefore only represent a very small number of seats for the entire province.

Read: Inquiry commission's report endorses PML-N's mandate: PM Nawaz

With regards to the allegation that the MQM had employed intimidation against workers of the MQM-H and JI prior to the elections, the commission said that there appeared to be some evidence to suggest that such tactics may have been employed in a few constituencies which may have discouraged other parties from campaigning. However, such evidence is far from over whelming or by any means decisive.

The commission points out that neither orders from the Sindh High Court nor the Chief Election Commissioner, in connection with allowing MQM-H chief Afaq Ahmed to campaign, were implemented and are particularly troubling. The commission suggested that the ECP and the administration should ensure that no such situation arises in the future by ensuring that its orders are strictly implemented.

COMMENTS (8)

raj singh | 8 years ago | Reply @lbs: as u mentioned so many positive & great features karachi contributing to our country, I would like to ask you as u said Karachi contributing so many great things than why our governments nd other officials are not spending those money back onto the infrastructure of Karachi. Why people from other cities are giving first preference to all the jobs in government sector. Why dont we have that Metro Bus Service and Mass Transit System. Why dont we have our own community police system. Why dont we hav our own Mayors and Local Bodies Official. I would raised so many questions onto this but I knw many will read this and ignore it but only few will understand. Please dont be such a HYPOCRITE and ANTI KARACHI.
Ibs | 8 years ago | Reply @HasanAskari @MSH and all you others. Why Karachi? Because Karachi is Pakistans most vital city Karachi is Pakistans lifeline Pakistan runs on Karachi The bulk of the tax is collected from Karachi Industry is based in Karachi There are several more reasons why Karachi is so important for Pakistan, which is precisely the reason Law and order needs to be restored, businesses need to gain the confidence to work in a conducive environment. You don't find the kind of lawlessness that you see in Karachi in other parts of the country. This is why everyone is so concerned about Karachi & want to see it flourish for the whole nation!
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