LG elections: 60 civil servants seek polling duty exemption

Reluctance stems in part from threat of intimidation by political actors

ISLAMABAD:

Wary of political bashing, dozens of civil servants appointed to supervise the upcoming local government (LG) elections in Sindh and Punjab are trying to free themselves of polling duties.

After some political parties accused the judiciary-led returning officers (ROs) of being involved in alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections, the judiciary is no more in the mood to provide its officials for electoral duties.

In a major policy shift, the top election supervisory body is appointing civil servants, mainly from district management groups, as ROs for the LG polls.

However, some 25 officers from Sindh and 35 from Punjab, who were asked to perform polling duties as ROs, district ROs (DROs) and assistant ROs (AROs), have approached the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) – either through the provincial governments or the provincial election commissioners – and requested the commission to relieve them of the additional role being provided to them.

Lacking any alternatives, the ECP has declined all requests. The polling body’s officials told The Express Tribune that the commission could not entertain the requests because the electoral process has already kicked off.

An ECP official said the commission had received requests from the provincial governments to replace some ROs which had not been entertained.

In some cases the ECP cancelled transfer orders issued by the provincial governments for trying to transfer officials appointed as ROs.

The ECP had issued a strongly worded notification on Friday saying that action would be taken against everyone who defied the commission’s orders.

Polling in the first phase of the LG polls is scheduled for October 31 and in the second phase for November 19.

Asked why the appointed officials were reluctant to perform electoral duties, an ECP official said that most of the bureaucrats wanted to stay away from such tasks due to the prevailing political environment. “Political leaders level allegations against anyone – and most of the time without any proof.”

For the LG polls in Sindh and Punjab, mostly deputy commissioners have been appointed as DROs, additional deputy commissioners as ROs and assistant commissioners as AROs.

In the areas where officers of the district management were not available, the ECP appointed officials working in other departments – like college lecturers, high school headmasters, Wapda executive engineers, tehsildars and revenue department officers.

ECP officials are worried about the outcome of the polls under the new supervisors since it is commonly believed that the bureaucracy has been highly politicised.

“But we had no other option,” said an official. “We should not cast doubts over the honesty of someone, but this is also a fact that the civil servants can be influenced by the government more easily. Their postings, transfers and annual confidential reports depend on the provincial governments.”

The ECP has reverted to the policy of appointing non-judiciary led ROs after more than three decades. In all elections since 1977, judges of the lower judiciary had been carrying out the additional responsibilities of ROs, DROs and AROs.

In its 2009 judicial policy, the higher judiciary decided that due to the high workload of the lower judiciary, their officers should not perform electoral duties.

Before the 2013 general elections, however, the Supreme Court initially declined the ECP’s request for junior judges to carry out electoral duties.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 6^th, 2015.