Violence in LG polls: ECP faults K-P for security lapses during vote

Says delimitations for local bodies’ elections in Punjab will be finalised by July 28.

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday attempted to distance itself from the ugly violence reported in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P)’s local government elections, while holding the provincial authorities responsible for the law and order during the May 30 electoral exercise.

The ECP in a statement absolved itself of criticism that it failed to stem violence on the day of the election. Nearly two dozen people lost their lives and scores of others sustained injuries in sporadic violence across the province.

“It is clarified that maintenance of law and order during the elections is the sole responsibility of the provincial government. The ECP arranged an additional force through the interior division and the General Headquarters (GHQ) for beefing up security in the province,” the poll supervisory body said.

In a nutshell, elections are a joint exercise and no organisation can absolve itself of its responsibility, it added.

The poll body also refused to take the rap for holding LG polls throughout K-P in a single day, saying it was done on the insistence of the provincial government.

In fact, keeping in view the security measures and requirement of a huge number of polling staff, the ECP had already advised the K-P government to conduct the elections in phases. But the provincial authorities dismissed the suggestion, he said.

“The views of the K-P government are on record. In case, the elections would have been held in phases, as it was done in the past, ie, 2001 and 2005 LG polls, the incidents of mismanagement and violence could have been avoided,” he added.

Delimitations in Punjab

The ECP has announced that it will notify delimited constituencies for LG polls in Punjab on July 28.

According to the revised schedule, delimitation officers will prepare the preliminary lists of constituencies by June 10. These lists will be displayed for inspection from June 11 to 20 where anyone having any objection against the boundaries of constituencies will be able to file their objections.

The LG polls in Punjab and Sindh are scheduled for September 20, as per the date given by the Supreme Court.

Majeed elected unopposed

PML-N succeeded in getting Saud Majeed elected unopposed as senator from the Punjab Assembly.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2015.