GDA, PML-Q demand apolitical staff for polls
Urge ECP and caretaker authorities to shuffle bureaucracy inter-provincially
PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) has demanded the election commission to post neutral polling staff for administrative duties in provinces, as this will help in ensuring free and fair elections.
Speaking in a press conference on Thursday along with Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi, leaders of GDA Pir Pagara Syed Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi and Ghous Ali Shah also showed their reservations over polls saying that entire administration and polling staff have been recruited by the Sharif family.
Pir Pagara calls political parties to unite
They advised that bureaucracy of one province should be repatriated to other province and vice versa. This will ensure free, fair and transparent elections as the officer of one province would not have interest in other province, they added.
The GDA leaders stressed that measures of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker government are not leading towards fair elections.
For making election transparent inter-provincial transfers should be made, GDA highlighted adding that officials recruited by former government should be removed from polling duty so that the 2013 rigged elections history is not repeated, they alleged.
PML-Q President and former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that rigging measures for 2013 elections were not enough. Moreover, no country in the world bars its candidate from going to polling stations, he lamented.
Former deputy prime minister Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi said situation in Punjab is not different from Sindh, Sharifs have governed Punjab for 10 years.
Elahi alleged that during their tenure they [Sharif family] posted people of their own choice. He further criticised that free and fair elections are not possible in the presence of Sharif family.
He demanded that in order to avoid rigging all officers of one province should be transferred to other province.
Pir of Pagara said that Chaudhry Sahib has called them from Karachi to Islamabad and they are ready for elections but if 2018 elections are held like previous elections then the country will suffer, he said.
In 2013, we had gone to the court against elections; new elections are round the corner but petition regarding old election has not yet been decided, Pir added.
In addition to that he questioned the concerned authorities how we should believe that election would be transparent?
Some officers should be brought into Sindh from Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, he urged.
Former chief minister of Sindh Syed Ghous Ali Shah revealed that in Sindh, deputy commissioner of Shikarpur has been posted in Khairpur, “if elections are not transparent then there is no benefit of these.”
He added solidarity of the country lies in holding of transparent election, till changes are effected in bureaucracy transparent elections would not take place.
Changing sides: Fehmida Mirza joins Grand Democratic Alliance
We have put forward our reservations ahead of elections, army has been asked for deployment of 350,000 officers for elections for which we are grateful to them, he added.
Further he urged we want that such civil officers should be posted who have no links with political parties; this will guarantee fair and transparent elections.
The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) has demanded the election commission to post neutral polling staff for administrative duties in provinces, as this will help in ensuring free and fair elections.
Speaking in a press conference on Thursday along with Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi, leaders of GDA Pir Pagara Syed Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi and Ghous Ali Shah also showed their reservations over polls saying that entire administration and polling staff have been recruited by the Sharif family.
Pir Pagara calls political parties to unite
They advised that bureaucracy of one province should be repatriated to other province and vice versa. This will ensure free, fair and transparent elections as the officer of one province would not have interest in other province, they added.
The GDA leaders stressed that measures of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker government are not leading towards fair elections.
For making election transparent inter-provincial transfers should be made, GDA highlighted adding that officials recruited by former government should be removed from polling duty so that the 2013 rigged elections history is not repeated, they alleged.
PML-Q President and former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that rigging measures for 2013 elections were not enough. Moreover, no country in the world bars its candidate from going to polling stations, he lamented.
Former deputy prime minister Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi said situation in Punjab is not different from Sindh, Sharifs have governed Punjab for 10 years.
Elahi alleged that during their tenure they [Sharif family] posted people of their own choice. He further criticised that free and fair elections are not possible in the presence of Sharif family.
He demanded that in order to avoid rigging all officers of one province should be transferred to other province.
Pir of Pagara said that Chaudhry Sahib has called them from Karachi to Islamabad and they are ready for elections but if 2018 elections are held like previous elections then the country will suffer, he said.
In 2013, we had gone to the court against elections; new elections are round the corner but petition regarding old election has not yet been decided, Pir added.
In addition to that he questioned the concerned authorities how we should believe that election would be transparent?
Some officers should be brought into Sindh from Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, he urged.
Former chief minister of Sindh Syed Ghous Ali Shah revealed that in Sindh, deputy commissioner of Shikarpur has been posted in Khairpur, “if elections are not transparent then there is no benefit of these.”
He added solidarity of the country lies in holding of transparent election, till changes are effected in bureaucracy transparent elections would not take place.
Changing sides: Fehmida Mirza joins Grand Democratic Alliance
We have put forward our reservations ahead of elections, army has been asked for deployment of 350,000 officers for elections for which we are grateful to them, he added.
Further he urged we want that such civil officers should be posted who have no links with political parties; this will guarantee fair and transparent elections.