Foolproof security for CEC sought

Electoral watchdog notes 'unnecessary and suspicious' movements around CEC Sikandar

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday requested the interior ministry for 'foolproof security' arrangements for Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.

A letter, addressed to the interior secretary, sounded alarms that “unnecessary and suspicious movement” had been observed around the CEC for the last few days.

The request for protection comes as the political tempers continue to rise with incidents of violence and raucous protests erupting over recent political developments.

The electoral body, which has assumed a central spot with its hearings of high-profile cases and massive electoral undertakings, said that in the light of the present polarised situation, foolproof security arrangements for the CEC at the election commission secretariat, his residential apartment in Sector G-5, Islamabad and during his travel outside Islamabad may be made on an immediate basis.

"In view of the above, it is requested that the matter may be assigned top priority and required measures may be put in place under intimation to this office," the letter added.

‘Inches away from civil unrest’

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry warned of "civil unrest" as Punjab Assembly saw government and opposition lawmakers clash in the house on Saturday.

“We are inches away from full-fledged civil unrest, Imran Khan has exercised utmost restraint very soon even he won’t be able to stop this very angry mob and we will see [the] country plunging into a civil unrest, imported leaders will not be able to leave the country,” he said in a tweet.

In another post, Fawad, while retweeting the letter written by the ECP to the interior ministry, said, “It was the turncoats who needed the security. What happened to him [the CEC]?”

It is pertinent to note here that the Election Commission of Pakistan had announced on Friday that it will hear the PTI foreign funding case every day, so as to decide it within 30 days as per the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) directives.

The ECP’s spokesperson said in a statement that in line with the IHC's decision, the commission has decided to hear the foreign funding case on a daily basis.

The foreign funding case is pending since November 14, 2014. The case was filed by Babar who had alleged serious financial irregularities in the PTI’s funding from Pakistan and abroad.