ROs have no right to ask personal questions: Altaf Hussain

Altaf asks the Supreme Court and the parliament to explain what 'the ideology of Pakistan' is.

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain, while addressing a press conference in Karachi, expressed serious reservations over the questions asked by the returning officers during the election candidate scrutiny process.

“Returning officers have the authority to clear a candidates nomination papers or disqualify him, but he has no right to ask personal or appalling questions,” Hussain said.

He further requested the Supreme Court and the parliament to explain what 'the ideology of Pakistan' is because “I am not well-informed, I don’t know the history of the ideology of Pakistan or where it is written.”

“I don’t have an issue with returning officers asking questions, after all this is their job...what I am against is the questions they ask,” he added.

He also condemned the disqualification of a candidate over allegations of writing articles against the Two Nation Theory, and the inexcusable and personal questions asked by the returning officers.

Altaf pointed out that the papers of many suspects involved in the Asghar Khan Case have been cleared, while those who have nothing illegal in their record are being disqualified over minor issues.

Recently, there have been several strange instances of returning officers asking peculiar questions about candidate’s personal life and religion, which were widely criticised.