KARACHI: PPP tells observers it doubts polls will be fair
By Our Reporter
KARACHI, June 1: Pakistan People’s Party leaders from Sindh have conveyed to the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs their reservations about free, fair and transparent elections under the military-led regime, and expressed concern at the lack of transparency of electoral process and credibility of the voters list.
They expressed their views during a meeting with the NDI’s country director Ms Sheila Fruman at the residence of Nafis Siddiqui, Secretary General of the PPP, Sindh, on Thursday.
The PPP leaders discussed political situation, especially the next general elections with Ms Fruman, who was accompanied by Senior Programme Manager Bruce Toombs and Programme Manager Emil Atanasovski of the NDI.
Ms Fruman highlighted the role of political parties in a democratic system.
President of the PPP, Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, MNA Ms Fehmida Mirza, Nafis Siddiqui, MPA Rafiq Engineer, Rashid Rabbani & a former ambassador Zia Ispahani expressed serious reservations about the existing voters list and complained of the non-availability of computerised voters list.
Underscoring the imperative need for an authentic voters list, they stressed that the Election Commission should arrange this in order to ensure holding of free, fair and transparent polls in the country.
They also emphasised on an independent Election Commission with judicial and administrative powers necessary for it to take immediate action in accordance with law on genuine complaints of irregularities and malpractices.
Ms Fruman told them that the NDI, getting major funding from the USAID and the US State Department, and lately from Britain and the Netherlands also, had an office in Islamabad. It works with political parties maintains contacts with the Election Commission of Pakistan. It functions in 60 countries with the objective of strengthening democracy and democratic institutions.
