Electoral rolls: SC wants explanation for bogus voters

Petitioner's counsel told the court that NADRA had not verified the voters.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court has issued notices to the chief election commissioner, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the attorney-general of Pakistan and given them 10 days to submit their replies in the recently surfaced registration of bogus voters in the 2008 elections.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was hearing the petition on the registration of 37.8 million bogus voters.

Advocate Ali Zafar appeared on behalf of the petitioner and submitted that many bogus votes were registered in various constituencies because the voters in question were not verified by NADRA. He pleaded that the electoral list should be prepared in a transparent manner so that free and fair elections are held in the country.

The chief justice said that the Election Commission has now replaced the election commissioner. The commission should be reorganised as soon as possible to conform to the Constitution.

The case has been adjourned for ten days.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2011.