ECP allows PTI access to poll records of NA speaker’s constituency

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday authorised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and his party to inspect the election record of the Lahore NA-122 constituency.

The PTI chief had lost his seat from NA-122 to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq during the May 2013 general elections.

NA-122 is one of the four constituencies where PTI alleged rigging and demanded a vote audit in its initial demands before marching to the federal capital.

The decision to allow PTI inspection of vote record of the constituency under the supervision of its provincial election commissioner was taken today during an ECP meeting, headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali.

The commission had granted PTI permission earlier; however, the NA speaker filed a petition in the Lahore High Court against the decision.

Recently, the LHC rejected the speaker’s plea and directed that the record may be opened under the supervision of ECP officials but not under judicial officers, who acted as returning officers in the general elections last year.

However, it is not yet clear when the record will be opened for Imran Khan by Mehboob Anwar, the Punjab election commissioner, against whom PTI had raised serious allegations.

PML-N MNA’s plea rejected

In a separate hearing, the ECP rejected the request of a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Malik Riaz to change the tribunal which is probing rigging allegations levelled by his PTI opponent Hamid Zaman.

Zaman had challenged the results of NA-118 Lahore, the constituency  Malik Riaz won.

The case is under investigation by a post election tribunal in Lahore.

Riaz wanted to move the case to another tribunal after expressing his dissatisfaction over the current tribunal. However, the ECP rejected his demand and said that the same tribunal would hear the case.

A total of five post tribunals, comprising retired judges of the Lahore High Court, were set up in Punjab to hear election complaints on a regular basis and decide the cases within 120 days. Of over 400 election complaints, dozens are still pending with tribunals across the country.

It was reported that Riaz had pressurised former National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chief Tariq Malik whose organisation was to probe the authenticity of thumb impressions of voters.

Malik was unceremoniously sacked by the incumbent government but reinstated by the court; however, he eventually resigned allegedly due to pressure.

ECP to take custody of polls record

Additional Director General Elections Malik Masood said that the ECP in its meeting also decided to take custody of the election record of the last general elections.

Earlier, the record had been kept in the official treasury under the district and session judges.

“It should now be shifted to ECP’s provincial offices,” Malik said, while addressing the media after the meeting.

ECP calls for fresh census 

Responding to a summary regarding fresh delimitations submitted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the ECP decided to once again ask the government to hold a fresh census before new delimitations.

The issue of fresh census has been pending since 2008 as the country is yet to undergo mandatory population census exercise after every 10 years, since the last population head count in 1998.

The commission has also proposed the government to amend Article 122 which relates to powers of conducting elections. Under the existing constitutional framework changed in the 18th Amendment in 2010, local government elections were taken away from the domain of ECP and devolved to provinces.

Absolves former CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry

According to Masood, the commission also saw the video footage of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry's address to officers of lower judiciary before the elections to probe allegations that he had passed some remarks in favour of a particular party.

Masood, however, said the video footage did not give any such impression. He clarified that it was not Chaudhry who appointed the district judiciary as returning officers and it was, in fact, the decision of the National Judicial Council, comprising chief justices of all the high courts and the Supreme Court.

He said the NJC took the decision on the ECP's request since different parties, including the PTI, had demanded that polls should be held under the supervision of the judiciary.

The PTI alleges that the ROs were involved in rigging of polls on the behest of then SC Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

ECP to initiate legal proceedings against Afzal Khan

Further, Masood said the commission rejected the allegations of its former additional secretary Muhammad Afzal Khan, who in a TV interview last month claimed that the 2013 general elections were massively rigged.

Afzal also alleged that two former chief justices and members of the ECP were involved in the rigging.

Additional DG elections said the commission would move a legal suit against Afzal.