File photo of the Chief Election Commissioner (retd) Fakharuddin G Ebrahim. PHOTO: FILE
Chief Election Commissioner (retd) Fakharuddin G Ebrahim on Thursday telephoned the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to apologise on Thursday after the election commission came under fire in the National Assembly for carrying out what some described as a ‘witch-hunt’.
The chief election commissioner made the call in the wake of Nisar’s outrage over what he termed pre-poll politician-bashing by the election commission, referring to a letter sent to him by ECP to verify his educational qualification.
The CEC told The Express Tribune that he had contacted Nisar to appease him as he felt that the ECP official, who sent the letter, had used language which was not appropriate when writing to parliamentarians.
“It was a mistake on the part of our official therefore I felt the need to talk to Chaudhary Nisar. The matter is resolved now”, the CEC said. ECP has been in the process of verifying the educational credentials of lawmakers who won elections in 2008. The condition of holding a graduate degree was intact when the last general elections were held, but scrapped later.
The letter — reportedly also sent to 249 other legislators — had threatened lawmakers that their degrees would be treated as fake and criminal proceedings would be initiated against them if they failed to produce their matriculation and intermediate certificates.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2013.
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For goodness sake people stop over reacting.
This was a sensible move by the CEC to diffuse a situation. It doesn't make him biased.
lol the so called "powerful" and "neutral" ECP!
The CEC should not in probity be calling anyone personally to apologize. If anything he should have given a press statement or whatever else, anything but a personal call. That does not bode well for the country. What if another objection is raised will he continue to apologize to all and sundry, it seems to be beneath the office.
where is Independent EC.Now CEC is becoming joke
Well done Fakhru bhai, Sir!
no institute is free here.....
The condition of being a degree holder was unconstitutional and was scrapped with Mush's demise from power. It is a shame that some officials are still using an illegal and unconstitutional condition to malign the elected leaders. Which country in the world has these conditions to limit participation in elections? Not even the US has this condition and Pakistani SC has declared it illegal and dropped it.