ROs role in upcoming LG polls comes under question

ISLAMABAD:

In what appears to be a new crisis in the making for the beleaguered election body, the ECP has been deluged with complaints about the alleged biased attitude of returning officers appointed to supervise upcoming local government elections in Punjab and Sindh.

“The ECP has received dozens of complaints that returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs) are favouring some political parties. Secretary ECP has written letters to chief secretaries asking them to issue clear instructions to the ROs to maintain their impartiality,” said an ECP official.

After lower judiciary led returning officers were maligned for their role in alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections, top judiciary declined to spare its officers for election processes.

The ECP appointed government officers-mainly from district administration group as DROs and ROs to conduct LG polls in Punjab and Sindh.

There had been apprehensions they would remain disinterested in organising the polls. While polling for the first phase is scheduled later this month, ECP is already receiving dozens of complaints against these government officers.

ECP officials claim, their secretary in his letters to chief secretaries of both provinces has warned that the commission would take ‘strict’ action against any RO who violates ECP’s instructions.

Under the existing laws, the ECP does not have any direct powers to take action against such officials. It can only send references against them to their parent departments. Given the political culture in the country, the government departments are hardly seen taking action against their staffers.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2015