Blame game: ECP, PCSIR unwilling to take responsibility for magnetic ink issues

Printing corporation to answer charges of fake ballot papers

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) are at loggerheads over the magnetic ink used for thumb impressions of voters during the 2013 elections. The issue lies at the heart of the ongoing controversy regarding the general elections and possible rigging.

The parliamentary committee on electoral reforms, headed by Senator Ishaq Dar, held its sixth meeting in Parliament House on Friday where it summoned officials of ECP, PCSIR and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to discuss the issue.

“The PCSIR was only responsible for producing the magnetic ink pad and these were handed over to the ECP, which was responsible for transportation to the polling stations,” said an official handout issued after the in-camera meeting.

The ink was supposed to render the thumb impressions easily readable through the NADRA database in case any verification was required. On the directions of the post-election tribunals NADRA was asked to verify the authenticity of voters of some constituencies where opponents challenged polls results. In most cases, NADRA reported that it could not verify most of the votes because of bad thumb impressions.

During the meeting, members of the parliamentary committee raised questions about the quality of ink used during the polls. During the polling process, magnetic ink was supposed to be used for thumb impressions while indelible ink was used to stamp ballot papers.

“We want to get to the bottom of this,” a member of the committee told The Express Tribune. “Was this a question of negligence or incompetence? We have also called for the printing corporation of Pakistan to be present at the next meeting to investigate allegations of fake ballot papers.”

The next meeting will be held on September 29. The ECP has been asked to file a detailed report on the alleged role of returning officers in rigging and if they were reporting directly to the commission. The PTI has not been attending the meetings of the 33-member committee comprising members from both houses of parliament. It was tasked to complete its recommendations within three months.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2014.