Inquiry report submitted to EC secretary

ISLAMABAD: An inquiry report submitted by the Assistant Election Commissioner Abdul Hameed reveals that a bogus Election Commission (EC) office was set up to provide an unfair advantage to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate Saif-ul-Mulook, for the polls taking place in constituency PP-160 in Lahore today.

A copy of the inquiry report was presented to the secretary of the EC of Pakistan, Ishtiaq Ahmed revealing that the bogus election commission office was discovered by a team of Express News on the June 21.

The report also reveals that the police are hesitant to register a case against the employees of the EC insisting that the EC must lodge a formal complaint before they can take any action adding that the FIA should conduct the investigation.

DSP Ichra Zulfiqar informed Hameed that candidates Jahangir Bara, Jamaat-i-Islami leaders Liaquat Baloch and Zahoor Wattoo submitted written complaints regarding the bogus election commission office. Hameed disclosed in his report that both DSP Ichra Zulfiqar Butt and SP Ayaz Saleem, Model Town, Lahore were reluctant reporting the matter to him or taking any action themselves.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2010.