March 07, 2007	Wednesday	Safar 17, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, March 6: A group of citizens, including lawyers, retired army generals, former parliamentarians and journalists has asked the Election Commission to undertake fresh delimitation of constituencies before the next general election.

In a meeting, the Citizens Group on Electoral Process (CGEP) observed that there had been a large number of changes in the country’s administrative boundaries, including creation of new and smaller districts, since the last delimitation was carried out prior to the 2002 general election.

The meeting was chaired by Justice (retired) Wajihuddin Ahmed and was attended by Arif Nizami; Lt-Gen (retired) Assad Durrani, former ISI director-general; Ghazi Salahuddin; Dr Ijaz Shafi Gillani, Chairman Gallup Pakistan; Lt-Gen (retired Moinuddin Haider, former governor Sindh; Mujib-ur-Rehman Shami; Qazi Mohammad Jamil, former president fo the Supreme Court Bar Association; Shafqat Mahmood, former senator and provincial minister; Shahid Hamid, former governor Punjab; Sikandar Jamali, former chief secretary Balochistan; Talat Hussain; Ahmed Bilal Mehboob and Aasiya Riaz, executive and joint director of Pildat.

The previous voters’ lists have been scrapped and fresh ones are being prepared. Media reports indicate there is a substantial difference in the number of voters in the lists used for the 2002 elections and those being prepared now.

In these circumstances, for ensuring free, fair and transparent elections it was essential that the election commission gave all interested persons, including political parties, an opportunity to voice their reservations and register complaints about the existing constituencies, in accordance with the provisions of the Delimitation of Constituencies Act.

The CGEP noted that it had already communicated its concerns about the manner in which the new voters’ lists were being prepared to the election commission but had not received any response so far.

The Group noted that under Article 41 of the Constitution, the president was the head of state and represented the unity of the Republic.

The current president had also taken a constitutional oath not to engage in any political activity, in his dual capacity as a serving member of the armed forces of Pakistan.

Some of the previous presidents had resigned from their political offices and parties, after being elected as president, to ensure that all people accepted them as representing, in their person, the unity of the federation.

The Group was of the view that in these circumstances it was not appropriate for the Chief of the Army Staff cum President to publicly campaign for a particular political party and urged him to desist from doing so.

The Group urged the election commission to hold an immediate inquiry into the complaints about the alleged rigging and irregularities in the recent by-elections, in Sindh, in order to ensure that rigging does not recur in the coming general election.