Final mud-slinging: Parties question impartiality of polling officers
ANP, PPP and JI raise concerns about fair elections amid ‘partial’ polling officers .
Leaders hold the election commission responsible for the ‘unfair’ election process. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The stage has already been set for countering the outcome of the election results as political parties continue to question the impartiality and credentials of the polling officers in Karachi.
Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Peoples Party and the Awami National Party are among those who have raised concerns about fair elections in the presence of polling officers who are ‘political appointees’. Leaders of different political parties and candidates contesting the election hold the election commission responsible for the ‘unfair’ election process and once again demanded the chief election commission to take notice of it.
“At least 70 to 80 per cent of the polling staff in Karachi is partial - the presiding officers are not neutral. How one can expect transparent election in a situation when the presiding officer or his assistant is biased?” said PPP’s Rashid Rabbani, who is contesting the election from NA-250. “It is the responsibility of the election commission to make this process transparent but pre-poll rigging has already started in my constituency with the appointment of biased polling officers.” He added that his concerns had been conveyed to the party’s election cell which will refer it to the election commission.
Senator Shahi Syed of ANP expressed the same reservation, saying that the partiality of the election staff will impact the result of the election. “We’ve held many meetings with the chief election commissioners but all have been in vain. Elections in Karachi have always been hijacked.”
Attacking rival parties
According to the JI, not only is the polling staff biased but polling stations in Karachi have also been setup to appease the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
“Majority of the polling staff belong to the labour division of MQM. A large number of employees of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board have been appointed for election duty,” said JI’s Meraj-ul-Huda Siddiqui, who is contesting the election from NA-245. He alleged that junior employees have been recruited as presiding officers.
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional’s leader Imtiaz Shaikh pointed his accusation at PPP, saying that the election commission had been hijacked by the PPP in rural Sindh and by its former coalition partner in Karachi. “Since the army is not going to be deployed inside the polling stations, these political appointees may carry out massive rigging.”
MQM, however, said that the parties making accusation are those who have failed to deliver in Karachi and afraid of the party’s vote bank in the city. “How can JI complain about impartially when 90,000 fake ballot papers were found from the vehicle of a JI leader?” asked MQM Rabbita Committee’s Wasim Aftab, adding that MQM has nothing to do with the appointment of presiding officers.
Doing the best they can
Officials of the election commission said that the majority of the polling staff belongs to the education department, followed by health department and others.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Sindh Election Commissioner SM Tariq Qadri said that 4,213 polling stations and 15,333 polling booths had been setup in Karachi for the 7.1 million registered voters. “We have appointed government employees form education and other departments. I do not know whether they are political appointees or not. We are working hard to make this process transparent,” he said.
He explained that the presiding officer of grade 17 will be in charge of the polling station and two assistant presiding officers have been appointed on each polling booth along with one polling officer to facilitate the voters.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 11th, 2013.
The stage has already been set for countering the outcome of the election results as political parties continue to question the impartiality and credentials of the polling officers in Karachi.
Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Peoples Party and the Awami National Party are among those who have raised concerns about fair elections in the presence of polling officers who are ‘political appointees’. Leaders of different political parties and candidates contesting the election hold the election commission responsible for the ‘unfair’ election process and once again demanded the chief election commission to take notice of it.
“At least 70 to 80 per cent of the polling staff in Karachi is partial - the presiding officers are not neutral. How one can expect transparent election in a situation when the presiding officer or his assistant is biased?” said PPP’s Rashid Rabbani, who is contesting the election from NA-250. “It is the responsibility of the election commission to make this process transparent but pre-poll rigging has already started in my constituency with the appointment of biased polling officers.” He added that his concerns had been conveyed to the party’s election cell which will refer it to the election commission.
Senator Shahi Syed of ANP expressed the same reservation, saying that the partiality of the election staff will impact the result of the election. “We’ve held many meetings with the chief election commissioners but all have been in vain. Elections in Karachi have always been hijacked.”
Attacking rival parties
According to the JI, not only is the polling staff biased but polling stations in Karachi have also been setup to appease the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
“Majority of the polling staff belong to the labour division of MQM. A large number of employees of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board have been appointed for election duty,” said JI’s Meraj-ul-Huda Siddiqui, who is contesting the election from NA-245. He alleged that junior employees have been recruited as presiding officers.
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional’s leader Imtiaz Shaikh pointed his accusation at PPP, saying that the election commission had been hijacked by the PPP in rural Sindh and by its former coalition partner in Karachi. “Since the army is not going to be deployed inside the polling stations, these political appointees may carry out massive rigging.”
MQM, however, said that the parties making accusation are those who have failed to deliver in Karachi and afraid of the party’s vote bank in the city. “How can JI complain about impartially when 90,000 fake ballot papers were found from the vehicle of a JI leader?” asked MQM Rabbita Committee’s Wasim Aftab, adding that MQM has nothing to do with the appointment of presiding officers.
Doing the best they can
Officials of the election commission said that the majority of the polling staff belongs to the education department, followed by health department and others.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Sindh Election Commissioner SM Tariq Qadri said that 4,213 polling stations and 15,333 polling booths had been setup in Karachi for the 7.1 million registered voters. “We have appointed government employees form education and other departments. I do not know whether they are political appointees or not. We are working hard to make this process transparent,” he said.
He explained that the presiding officer of grade 17 will be in charge of the polling station and two assistant presiding officers have been appointed on each polling booth along with one polling officer to facilitate the voters.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 11th, 2013.