20 June 2004	Sunday	01 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, June 19: Chief Election Commissioner Irshad Hasan Khan on Friday asked the presiding officers, deputed to supervise the June 20 by-elections for the National Assembly seat in Jhang , to ensure arrangements have been made to guard against corrupt practices, in a letter to all presiding officers.

The NA-89 Jhang-IV constituency become vacant when Maulana Azam Tariq was killed last year. The By-election scheduled for May 12 had to be postponed because of the tense situation in the constituency, and besides sectarian sentiments were also at a peak during the month of Moharram.

The CEC also reiterated that presiding officers have been empowered to function as First Class Magistrates under Section 86A of the Representation of the People Act, 1976. "These powers must be exercised judiciously, on sound judicial principles and not arbitrarily," CEC warned.

He said, it was the individual and collective responsibility of every presiding officer to ensure that no illegality or violation of election laws and rules was committed on the polling day.

He suggested that the counting of votes after the close of polling should be conducted in the presence of contesting candidates, and their election and polling agents. Their signatures should be obtained on the 'statement of the count,' prepared by the presiding officers as a result of counting at the polling station. "In case of their refusal to do so, this fact must be recorded by the presiding officer on this statement of count," he suggested adding that a copy of the statement of count should also be affixed outside the polling station immediately for the information of the general public.