Election Commission bans officials’ transfers until polls
By Rafaqat Ali
ISLAMABAD, July 23: The Election Commission on Tuesday restrained the federal and provincial governments from reshuffling bureaucracy till the completion of elections in October.
The Election Commission in its order on Tuesday said: “Bulk transfers of the civil servants shall not be made with immediate effect till the completion of forthcoming general elections to be held in October 2002”.
The EC stated that individual transfers of civil servants should also not be made with immediate effect, except in the exigencies of service and in public interest, and the EC shall be so informed simultaneously.
The order said that sub-clause (3) of Article 218 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973, envisaged that it shall be the duty of the Election Commission, constituted in relation to an election, to organize and conduct the election and make such arrangements as were necessary to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly, and in accordance with law, and the corrupt practices are guarded against.
Article 220 of the Constitution provided that it should be the duty of all executive authorities in the federation and provinces to assist the commissioner and election commission in the discharge of his or their functions, the order further said.
The EC also released the draft of Allocation of Symbols Order 2002, for eliciting public opinion from the political parties leaders, which shall reach to the commission by July 31.
The draft includes the Allocation of Symbols Order 1993, and also the restrictions imposed on the political parties by the government.
The draft law includes section 12 of the Political Parties Order 2002, requiring a political party to conduct intra-party polls and submit a certificate.
Besides, Chief Election Commissioner Irshad Hasan Khan told reporters that the draft law covered every existing law with regard to the allotment of symbols.
ELECTION SCHEDULE: Chief Election Commissioner Irshad Hasan Khan said that the schedule for the forthcoming general elections would be announced on Aug 5.
The CEC, flanked by all the four members of the Election Commission and the secretary, told a press conference that schedule for the general elections would be announced on Aug 5 when the electoral rolls would have been finalized.
The CEC said the National Database Registration Authority had informed the election commission that 75 per cent work on the electoral rolls was complete and the remaining would be completed before Aug 5.
The CEC said that under the laws, production of identity cards was mandatory for casting vote. The election commission, he said, had written to Nadra, seeking exact information about the possession of identity cards by voters.
The Nadra chief, Justice Irshad said, informed him that its department had publicized in the press that all those citizens who had not obtained the identity cards should immediately contact the Nadra offices but the response was poor.
The CEC said that the election commission was fully geared up for the holding of elections as it had completed the gigantic task of delimitation of constituencies.
Justice Irshad told reporters that over 900 representations against more than 800 delimited constituencies were received which, he added, were disposed of.
The CEC said that few writ petitions were filed in the high courts, challenging the delimitation in the light of the census results. The small number of writ petitions, he remarked, was the testimony that delimitation was fair and proper.
The CEC said he had received a letter from the Commonwealth secretariat, which said they wanted to send a four-member mission to assess security environment for its mission to observe the general elections.
The CEC said the observers were welcome and the government of Pakistan would fully facilitate them. He said that observers would only observe and not supervise the elections.
