People power: ROs come under fire for ‘undemocratic’ scrutiny of candidates

Procedural objection raised by writers, human rights activists and others.

ISLAMABAD: Writers and human rights activists on Monday issued a joint statement raising objections over the scrutiny of nomination papers by returning officers (ROs).

The statement expressed concern over the current electoral process undertaken by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which it termed was “unnecessarily led by the superior judiciary”.

“This process is not only unethical and undemocratic, it is also unprecedented in the electoral history of the country,” the statement read.

It was signed by 42 individuals from the twin cities, including writers, public policy experts, human rights activists, and members of the intelligentsia, and termed questions asked of the candidates about their personal lives “a combination of ignorance and personal prejudices on the part of the ROs”.



Political analyst Ayesha Siddiqa said this line of questioning was a reflection of the lower judiciary’s mindset and an attempt to publicly humiliate politicians.

“One has no problem if the question is about accountability, but they (the ROs) are going far beyond that,” Siddiqa said.

The Lahore High Court on Friday passed a judgment ordering ROs to refrain from asking questions unrelated to information sought in the nomination papers.

The statement also refers to clauses within Articles 62 and 63 which leave room for manipulation by undemocratic forces. .

Awami Workers Party (AWP) leader Abid Hassan Minto said Articles 62 and 63 were open-ended and contained controversial elements that could not be made the basis for disqualification of candidates.

“How can you punish someone on the basis of an ideology that has not been defined in law,” he asked.

He did, however, laud the disqualification of loan defaulters and corrupt politicians on the basis of “regular, positive and admitted” evidence.

Human rights campaigner Tahira Abdullah echoed Minto’s sentiments, and also advised the ECP to implement a code of conduct for ROs.

“Scrutiny should be reserved only for tax evaders, loan defaulters and those declared corrupt by the National Accountability Bureau,”
she said.

Abdullah said she saw the application of Articles 62 and 63 as a “concerted effort” by the retrogressive religious extremist elements to make the next parliament “an extremely right-wing parliament”.

The citizens’ statement endorsed the findings and recommendations of the 2012 annual report on the status of human rights in Pakistan, released by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2013.