Local body elections: Substandard paper procured for ballots

FIA to send samples to lab, carry out probe

KARACHI:

Paper that was procured by the Printing Corporation of Pakistan (PCP) for the upcoming local body elections is said to be of substandard quality, which may call the election process into question. 

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) conducted a raid at PCP’s Karachi office on September 29 and seized papers that were to be used for ballots and office documents, The Express Tribune learned. The paper was purchased at a cost of Rs236 million and was acquired on an urgent basis.

“We found that the paper procured by the PCP is of very low quality,” an official of the FIA crime circle said. “The PCP can’t use the seized paper now as it will be sent to the laboratory to investigate if it meets the specifications given to the mills by the PCP.” He added that an investigation would be carried out to ascertain why low quality paper was procured.

Three companies - M/s Arsam Pulp and Papers Board Industries Sheikhupura, M/s A.A Paper Private Limited of Islamabad and M/s Premier Mills Limited of Lahore – were contracted to provide the paper for the local body ballots. In 2013, the PCP purchased paper for the general elections from M/s Arsam Pulp and Papers Board Industries Sheikhupura and this paper was rejected by offices in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi due to its substandard quality. At the time, the PCP paid Rs20.5 million for the order. The paper was used for the general elections despite complaints regarding its quality.

PCP spokesperson KB Jalbani said that M/s Arsam was not blacklisted after the 2013 elections and a committee was constituted to approve the paper’s quality. Jalbani said the allegations against M/s Arsam are baseless. “The FIA has the authority to raid the offices and we have asked them to check the paper’s quality,” Jalbani said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2014.