Claims their continued presence is a threat to transparent polls.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Saturday expressed apprehension over the bureaucracy’s interference in Mardan district and demanded officers appointed by the former of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief minister be transferred as soon as possible.
“It has been a month since the caretaker setup took over in K-P, but high ranking officials appointed by the ex-CM are still at their posts,” said PML-N central leader Khawaja Muhammad Khan Hoti, a candidate for NA-9 Mardan-I, while addressing journalists at the Peshawar Press Club. “Their presence will threaten free and fair elections,” he added.
“I have written four letters on the matter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP),” he said, alleging most of the staff appointed by Amir Haider Hoti were openly calling their juniors and ordering them to vote for the ex-CM and Awami National Party (ANP) candidates in Mardan.
According to Khawaja, officers including the commissioner, deputy commissioner, deputy election commissioner, executive education officer, executive engineer-irrigation, district police officer, tehsil municipal officer, executive engineer (Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited), patwaries and the chief executive of the Mardan Medical Complex have all been appointed to interfere in the upcoming polls.
“These officials are calling subordinates, contractors and SHOs to instruct them to prepare a lobby in favour of ex-CM Hoti,” Khawaja claimed.
“Both the chief executive of Mardan Medical Complex and the district’s deputy commissioner have openly proven themselves to be workers of the ANP. All this shows the K-P government is not interested in free and transparent elections. The polls are only 29 days away and transparency is doubtful due to these appointed officials.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2013.
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