Ensuring fair elections

Keeping a check on pre-poll rigging will be ECP's most important job over the next few months.

One of the biggest criticisms of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), apart from those which are motivated by political desires, is that the body has done nothing to stop the ruling party from taking advantage of its incumbency by diverting truckloads of development money that was originally attached to other projects and using it to help its re-election effort. The ECP has, thankfully, now made an effort to ensure that this does not happen, including taking notice of reports that some of the funds allocated for development projects were being diverted to the prime minister’s discretionary fund to be used for electioneering.

The election commission has outlawed such practices, even if it has done so rather belatedly. In addition, the ECP has stopped the federal and provincial governments from hiring in government departments, unless it is done through the public service commissions.

These moves are especially welcome because they come after a couple of weeks during which the ECP has come under scathing attacks. One of the main demands of Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Long March in Islamabad was that the ECP be disbanded and replaced by better people. Imran Khan, too, has threatened to lead a rally in Islamabad unless his demands are met, one of which is choosing a new, unbiased ECP. Naturally, both men would like to have a say in the appointment of new ECP members. Their demands should be written off as it will be hard to find a more independent and trustworthy ECP chairman than Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim. Even Imran Khan had to acknowledge that Justice (retd) Ebrahim was unbiased although some have rather unfairly stated that he was too old for the job.



Instead of needlessly criticising the ECP, we should be identifying areas where it can do better. Keeping a check on pre-poll rigging will be its most important job over the next few months as will checking the influence of the military. Reports of a secret meeting between Justice (retd) Ebrahim and Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani were not heartening but one hopes the purpose of that meeting, if it was indeed held, was to tell the military that it has no role to play in the upcoming elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2013.