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| August 7, 2005 | Sunday | Rajab 1, 1426 |
EC urged to take notice: President’s role in poll drive
PESHAWAR, Aug 6: The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has demanded that the Election Commission should to take notice of President Gen Perviz Musharraf’s participation in the election campaign of the ruling PML.
“The president was visiting different parts of the country and announcing development packages violating the code of conduct for the upcoming local body polls,” PML-N provincial president Pir Sabir Shah said, while addressing a press briefing after presiding over a meeting of the party’s provincial cabinet on Saturday.
He expressed concern over the involvement of government functionaries in election campaign of the ruling PML backed candidates. Government officials were actively participating in the election campaign negating rules and regulations, he added.
In order to counter pre-poll rigging the PML-N has set up complaint cells at the provincial level, he said, adding that they would remain in touch with the all district level committees and after receiving complaints would forward them to the Election Commission.
He alleged that a number of ministers during their visits were announcing special packages for the far-flung areas to influence the voters of their respective areas.
He also alleged that the MMA-led provincial government was also involved in pre-poll rigging. Some of the ministers in Mardan, Lakki Marwat and Abbottabad were busy influencing voters, he said, adding that such a practice would damage the MMA-PML(N) relations.
In Abbottabad one of the PML-N leaders had been kidnapped under the instructions of an MMA minister and an FIR had been registered with the police station concerned, he said.
In reply to a question, Mr Shah said that during the meeting a four-member committee, led by Anwar Kamal Marwat, had been constituted to call on the chief minister and apprise him of the PML-N reservations.
The Election Commission was supposed to conduct free, fair and transparent elections and at the same time warn all government officials to stay away from politics, he said.
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