Former caretaker setup 'to face rigging probe panel'

Rehman Malik says a Senate committee has already identified grey areas in 2018 election

ISLAMABAD: An opposition party lawmaker on Friday told the Senate Standing Committee on Interior that the last caretaker set-up would also have to appear before the proposed parliamentary committee that is to probe allegations of rigging in the July 25 election.

"The last caretaker prime minister Nasirul Mulk and his cabinet members are also answerable to parliament and they will have to appear before the parliamentary committee to give answers," said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Asad Ali Khan Junejo.

The lawmaker, who was speaking at the committee meeting chaired by Senator Rehman Malik, said a conclusion on rigging allegations could not be reached as long as forensic and electronic audit of election results was not held.

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior had separately launched a probe into alleged rigging in the general election under the instructions of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.



Malik told the participants that the committee had completed 80 per cent investigations and had so far submitted three reports to the house.  "This committee, however, does not want to pursue the investigations further as the parliamentary committee has been proposed," he said.

Malik said now the committee would assist the proposed parliamentary committee to reach a conclusion on the issue. "The committee is satisfied with the parliamentary panel to be constituted to probe allegations of rigging," he added.

Taking an overview of the investigations that were completed by the committee, Malik said since all reports of the investigations had been submitted to the house and were part of the record, the committee would recommend that all evidence must be submitted to the parliamentary committee.



"This record can be used as a guideline for further investigations. I will also recommend that members of this committee involved in the probe may also be included in the proposed parliamentary committee to get good results," he said.

The chair revealed that there were certain grey areas which have been mentioned in the committee's report. He said the committee has gone through the Result Transmission System (RTS) and the Results Management System (RMS) in detail and recommended that forensic audit report of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should be further investigated through technical experts. He said a letter had already been written to the Ministry of Interior in this regard; however the committee is waiting for a response.

Malik said the 'grey areas' include the delay in election results, failure of the RTS housed in NADRA, issues related to the ECP's RMS, observations of the members on the RTS and RMS, the shortage or non-provision of Form 45, the ouster of polling agents from polling stations, the number of rejected votes, the failure of internet and telephone services in constituencies, the breakdown of the internet server at NADRA headquarters, reservations of parliamentarians such as the posting and transfer of presiding and returning officers, and the recovery of stamped ballot papers from roadsides, dustbins and elsewhere.

Malik said the committee found that Form 45 of 92,000 polling stations were without signatures. Out of the total 84,000 presiding officers, 40,000 did not comply with ECP's criteria.

He further stated that approximately 4,500 presiding officers did not possess mobile phones consequently they did not have access to the RMS and the RTS facility.



According to the Election Act 2017, all polling stations must have been monitored by the CCTV cameras. There was a clear violation of this law since the ECP informed the committee that due to unavoidable circumstances, all stations could not be manned and monitored by this system, Malik added.

Senator Azam Khan Swati insisted that a forensic audit was imperative to prove transparency of the elections.  He recommended that the committee must recommend suspension of NADRA Chairman Usman Mobin, DG Project Zulfiqar Ali and DG Operations, Nisar Ahmed Mir immediately.

Senator Chaudhary Tanvir enquired about the action taken against the NADRA officers and said the issue of 40,668 forms must be thoroughly investigated. Senator Asad Ali Khan Junejo strongly opposed the suggestion of suspension of NADRA officers.

Resolution against Indian threats

The committee adopted a unanimous resolution condemning the recent Indian threats. "The committee strongly condemns the threats by Indian Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat and the undiplomatic response of India by declining Foreign Ministers' Meeting with Pakistan in New York," it said.