Security situation in the country bleak: CJ

Chief justice issues directives to provide security to contesting candidates and voters on Election Day.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court has expressed grave concern over the recent spate of bomb attacks during the ongoing election campaign and issued directives to the concerned authorities to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

Resuming the hearing of the election reforms implementation case on Tuesday, a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry issued directives to all provincial chief secretaries and police chiefs to provide security to contesting candidates and voters on Election Day.

Appearing on behalf of the petitioner, advocate Bilal Minto urged the court to direct the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to bar contesting candidates from establishing their camps near polling stations. The chief justice responded that at this stage the court did not want to issue any direction to the election commission in order to avoid any impact on the electoral process.

Justice Iftikhar noted that while political parties in Punjab were comparatively safe, the security situation in the rest of the country was bleak. He said that the law and order situation in Karachi was deteriorating rapidly and required immediate and concrete steps to ensure security.

The counsel for the election commission assured the bench that all possible steps to provide a peaceful environment during elections would be ensured. Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned for two weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2013.