SC wants updated list in 30 days: Petition on missing voters
By Nasir Iqbal
ISLAMABAD, Aug 10: The Supreme Court on Friday gave the Election Commission 30 days to complete the enrolment of eligible voters not included in the computerised electoral rolls.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and Justice M. Javed Buttar was hearing a challenge by PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto against the draft electoral rolls over alleged irregularities. In her petition, Ms Bhutto has accused the government of committing ‘institutionalised fraud’ with the nation by deleting over 22 million voters from the rolls.
At the last hearing, the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission to ensure registration of all eligible voters through a comprehensive scheme after convening a special meeting of the commission.
On Friday, the Election Commission sought 140 days to complete the exercise of registering over 20 million voters. But the court observed that no pretext could be provided for postponement of the general election.
“The commission already has electoral rolls of 2002 with 72 million registered voters,” the chief justice said, adding that the new electoral rolls had over 50 million registered votes. The commission had to add only 22 million voters for which one month’s period was enough, the chief justice observed.
Attorney-General Malik Mohammad Qayyum told the bench that relevant election rules required amendments for registration of the remaining votes and a summary had been moved. Since the National Assembly was in session an ordinance could not be promulgated. Election Commission secretary Kanwar Dilshad also attended the court.
The court ordered the commission to submit a formula for enrolling the voters during the stipulated period and also asked the legal counsel of the petitioner, Sardar Latif Khosa, to meet the Chief Election Commissioner for evolving a mechanism for the purpose. The case will again be taken up on Aug 16.
After the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel told reporters that under Article 51(2) of the Constitution, section 6 of the Electoral Rolls Act, 1973, National Registration Act and section 35 of Representation of Peoples Act, 1976, every Pakistani citizen aged 18 years and above had the right to vote. He said no statute imposed the condition of having national identity card for registration in the electoral rolls, but the Election Commission amended rule 3 of the Electoral Rolls and imposed the condition.
