Helping hands: For impartial polls, Chief Justice pins hopes on ROs

Says they are to aid Election Commission in holding free and fair elections.

QUETTA: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Sunday that people have a lot of expectations from the returning officers (ROs) and they should make sure the masses are not disappointed.

“People have great hopes in ROs and expect them to perform their duties properly,” the chief justice said while addressing district returning officers in Quetta.

Owing to the deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan, he urged the ROs to work harder.



He added that conducting free, fair and transparent elections was the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). However, the legal fraternity should also expedite  their efforts to facilitate the commission.

Citing Article 218 of the Constitution, Justice Chaudhry said the ECP was to ensure that impartial polls take place throughout the country. However, under Article 220, the federal and provincial governments should aid the commission in discharging its duty. “The administration and the civil society should work alongside the ECP to uphold national interests,” he said.

The chief justice was not too happy with the men in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. He said male voters did not allow women to exercise their right to vote and in some cases, women were forced to vote in favour of a specific candidate.

“Due to a lack of education many voters do not use their right to vote correctly,” he remarked, adding that the election staff, particularly women, should review the issue and discharge their duties properly.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2013.