Dossier for new CEC: ECP yet to receive forms X1V, XV from 50 NA seats
Complete record of seats won by Hamza Shahbaz, Abid Sher Ali, Maulana Fazl, missing
ISLAMABAD:
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has yet to receive forms XIV and XV bearing polling station results and ballot count results respectively, from at least 50 National Assembly constituencies.
This was revealed by the confidential branch of the electoral body, which is preparing a comprehensive report on the May 2013 elections.
The commission has also compiled a report on the overall performance of election tribunals, constituted by the commission to hear election-related disputes, to apprise the newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner Justice (Retd) Sardar Raza Khan.
The commission collected data from different sources to compile the report, but it could not get forms XIV (polling stations’ result) and XV (count of ballot wise result) from over 50 constituencies. So far, the commission could not receive these forms from the National Assembly’s 36 constituencies from Punjab, seven from Sindh, three from K-P, three from Balochistan and two from Fata.
Among the 50 constituencies, PML-N has 32 seats, six belong to JUI-F, three each for PTI, PPP and MQM and the remaining are divided among PML-F, independents and the Balochistan National Party. PTI has also demanded displaying the result of all these constituencies on the commission’s website.
However, according to an official, as per Representation of Peoples Act 2002, it is not mandatory for the commission to display these forms on its website. The Islamabad High Court has ruled that there is no constitutional obligation on the body to do the same.
The officials also confessed that ECP could not ensure complete transparency as pledged by former chief election commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim that within three months all election related material would displayed on the website. It was also part of plan that a treasury would be established to keep the complete record of general elections in all four provinces. But this plan could not be materialised.
The constituencies from where results could not be received included NA-24 DI Khan from where JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman won, NA 84 Faisalabad-X from where Premier Sharif’s nephew Abid Sher Ali secured his seat, NA-119 Lahore-II from where Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, son of Punjab chief minister was declared winner and NA-133 Sheikhupura-III that had sent PML-N’s Javed Latif to the assembly.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2014.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has yet to receive forms XIV and XV bearing polling station results and ballot count results respectively, from at least 50 National Assembly constituencies.
This was revealed by the confidential branch of the electoral body, which is preparing a comprehensive report on the May 2013 elections.
The commission has also compiled a report on the overall performance of election tribunals, constituted by the commission to hear election-related disputes, to apprise the newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner Justice (Retd) Sardar Raza Khan.
The commission collected data from different sources to compile the report, but it could not get forms XIV (polling stations’ result) and XV (count of ballot wise result) from over 50 constituencies. So far, the commission could not receive these forms from the National Assembly’s 36 constituencies from Punjab, seven from Sindh, three from K-P, three from Balochistan and two from Fata.
Among the 50 constituencies, PML-N has 32 seats, six belong to JUI-F, three each for PTI, PPP and MQM and the remaining are divided among PML-F, independents and the Balochistan National Party. PTI has also demanded displaying the result of all these constituencies on the commission’s website.
However, according to an official, as per Representation of Peoples Act 2002, it is not mandatory for the commission to display these forms on its website. The Islamabad High Court has ruled that there is no constitutional obligation on the body to do the same.
The officials also confessed that ECP could not ensure complete transparency as pledged by former chief election commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim that within three months all election related material would displayed on the website. It was also part of plan that a treasury would be established to keep the complete record of general elections in all four provinces. But this plan could not be materialised.
The constituencies from where results could not be received included NA-24 DI Khan from where JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman won, NA 84 Faisalabad-X from where Premier Sharif’s nephew Abid Sher Ali secured his seat, NA-119 Lahore-II from where Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, son of Punjab chief minister was declared winner and NA-133 Sheikhupura-III that had sent PML-N’s Javed Latif to the assembly.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2014.