The only way to prevent rigging is to empower the election commission and increase the number of its employees
KARACHI: This is with reference to your editorial “The ‘rigging’ report” (July 25). While the judicial commission concluded that the elections were by and large fair and transparent, it cannot be said that rigging did not take place at all, particularly in Karachi and the rural areas of the country.
With most voters in the rural areas, it would not have been very difficult to buy their votes or compel them to vote for the winning party in other ways. The only way to prevent rigging is to empower the election commission and increase the number of its employees. Also, why do we have our national and provincial elections on the same day? The best thing would be for elections to be held over a period of four days, and the results not announced until all votes have been counted and verified. Another reform that is needed is to have provincial elections two years after the National Assembly elections
Shakir Lakhani
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2015.
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