December 17, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 6, 1428

LAHORE, Dec 16: Punjab government finds a majority of the complaints accusing nazims and district administrations of influencing the election ‘baseless and without any evidence’.

“We are daily receiving the complaints and are regularly referring them to the authorities concerned for investigation. But a majority of them are being found to be of general nature and without any proof,” a senior Punjab government official told Dawn on Sunday.

Interestingly, one such application has been filed by the PPP against former Kasur Nazim Rana Muhammad Hayat and Mr Tariq Nakai, who are accused of using official machinery to `rig’ the election.

The official says the application has been found baseless as Mr Tariq Nakai is not a candidate to the election and Mr Hayat is no more the nazim.

Mr Hayat belongs to the PML-N and has recently been unseated by the Supreme Court and the fresh election for the slot has been postponed because of the general elections.

Mr Hayat has been accusing the former Punjab PML-Q government of incapacitating him as the district nazim through the official machinery whom he is allegedly misusing for the general elections.

This was the nazim who had declared a public holiday in Kasur on the arrival of Mr Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad in September. But, while acting upon the advice of the provincial government, the Kasur DCO had cancelled the notification on the ground that the nazim could not announce a public holiday under the law.

“How can one use an opponent for political favours,” the senior official argued.

The applications against nazims and administration are being received by the Election Commission of Pakistan which is referring them to the provincial governments for inquiry and action. In Punjab, a special cell has been created under instructions from the election commission for handling them.

On Saturday, the government transferred a tehsildar posted in Chunian after it was reportedly established that he was a relative of the former provincial minister Sardar Hasan Akhtar Mokal and was allegedly influencing election.