GDA demands impartial polling staff
A conglomerate of anti-PPP parties, the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), on Tuesday rejected the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) nominations of Returning Officers (RO) and District Returning Officers (DRO) for the general elections.
GDA General Secretary Dr Safdar Ali Abbasi and Information Secretary Sardar Abdul Rahim conveyed in a joint policy statement demanded the removal of a controversial figure from the post of provincial election commissioner and suggested a move towards transparent elections. They said, the current appointments by ECP for elections in Sindh raise suspicions of a pre-poll rigging.
Read ‘GDA to form government in Sindh’
Expressing dissatisfaction, they highlighted concerns about the inclusion of the current Sindh bureaucracy as Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) and DROs, along with the appointment of officials from the education department as AROs.
The GDA leaders argued that such appointments hint at a hidden agenda to rig the elections.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2023.