More startling revelations in second Daska by-poll report

Report hews closely to the involvement of officers of Punjab education department

ISLAMABAD:

A day after an inquiry of the Election Commission of Pakistan made headlines with thundering revelations, a follow-up report on Sunday fleshed out further details of how a “dubious” sequence of events unfolded during the contentious Daska's NA-75 by-poll.

The report hews closely to the involvement of the district administration in the manipulation of the elections and finds assistant commissioner and assistant commission to be the main culprits in paving way for the “pre-planned scheme”.

It showed that the top brass of the local police, including the district police officer, also worked hand in glove with other government functionaries to create an environment inimical for holding free and transparent electons.

According to the report, the deputy superintendent of police of Sambrial continued to deliberately impede actions taken to restore order in places where incidents of violence were reported.

Informed sources said that the report reveals that the subordinate officers, in connivance with DPO, also played a key role in rigging the by-elections.

Furthermore, the probe report says the Punjab education department officials also offered their services to materialise the plan.

It states that deputy district education officer Farkhunda Yasmeen had called a meeting of presiding officers at her home where they were asked to support the government’s candidate.

Farkhunda signed six hundred fake ballot papers and handed them to a female presiding officer who was entrusted with the task to cast them in the absence of presiding officers, the report added.

The report has recommended disciplinary action against Farkhunda.

A report released on Friday by the ECP  on the February by-poll in Daska's NA-75 constituency had found that election officials, police and the local administration failed to play their "designated role in a requisite manner and were found [to be] puppets in the hands of their unlawful masters" during the by-election.