KARACHI: People urged to elect enlightened candidates: Ibad sees peaceful polling
KARACHI, Aug 24: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has expressed the hope that people would fully exercise their right to vote in the second phase of the local body elections.
“Election of dutiful, honest and enlightened representatives imbibed with the spirit of serving the country and nation will prove helpful in steering the country on the path of progress and stability,” he said.
The governor was chairing a meeting held at the Governor’s House here on Wednesday to review law and order and arrangements for the second phase of the elections.
He directed the officials present at the meeting to ensure all possible measures for holding peaceful, transparent and impartial elections.
Appreciating the arrangements made on the occasion of the first phase of election, he impressed upon them to demonstrate the same performance in the second phase.
He said the electoral process was the responsibility of the Election Commission and its staff, but the administration would play its due role in enforcing the code of conduct and maintaining law and order.
He emphasized on continuous air surveillance through helicopter, patrolling by police and Rangers and deployment of forces at designated locations.
He also stressed prompt supply of election material to all polling stations especially those located in far flung areas. The role of media during elections was appreciated at the meeting.
It was told that derailment of the parcel train at Malir Bridge was not the result of a bomb blast as the inquiry into the incident had found no element of the sort.
It was hoped that in future, information would not be disseminated without verifying the facts.
The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rauf Siddiqui, Chief Secretary Fazlur Rehman, Principal Secretary to the Governor Saleem Khan, Home Secretary Brig (r) Ghulam Mohammed Mohtaram, IGP Asad Jehangir and other officials.
Governor Ishratul Ibad, while talking to the newly-elected and outgoing office-bearers and members of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) at a lunch hosted by him on Wednesday, spoke at length on issues related to local bodies elections, law and order and various perceptions that concerned Sindh, especially Karachi.
He said that after 1979 when world policies saw a series of changes, Pakistan did not mend its policies accordingly and went into isolation in the comity of nations.
“Now is the time to take corrective measures to race along with the other nations… and this is what the present leadership in Pakistan is doing.”
Regarding peace in Karachi, he said the city had expanded so much that it was not possible for the government to deploy law enforcement personnel at every corner of a street. Yet very effective arrangements had been made to monitor the situation, he added.
He pointed out that law and order in Sindh, particularly Karachi, had greatly improved.
In reply to a question about action against newspapers, printing presses, and hawkers, Dr Ibad said although hawkers had been picked up, but there had been a straight away response to the action taken, and they were released.
Earlier, the governor described the incident that had happened before the press conference of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at the Governor’s House on Sunday last as ‘regrettable’ and said it should not have taken place. However, immediate action had been taken against the official concerned, he added.
