February 17, 2008	Sunday	Safar 09, 1429

“YOUR wife won’t walk on you if you delay your visit by a day,” Shabbir Ali, a naib qasid at a union council of Vehari district, is reprimanded by his seniors when he, worried by the sudden illness of his better half, seeks permission to leave for a day to visit his village.

The UC authorities wanted every staffer to attend the “workers’ convention” former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi was coming to address in a locality close to Mailsi, Vehari, on January 11.

As it turns out, the violation of Election Commission’s code of conduct is not restricted to forcing the staff to attend political meetings of the PML-Q. Neither is it restricted to Vehari. Official transport, machinery and network are all being openly utilised for the canvassing of the former ruling party in almost every district, especially in the Punjab province.

Several media reports have revealed distribution of PML-Q publicity material through the education network under district governments, hanging of banners and putting up of posters by police and officials of other departments under the direct command of district nazimeen in addition to announcing development projects on the recommendation of PML-Q nominees.

Apprehending misuse of their offices and powers by the nazimeen, suspension of local governments had been one of the major demands of the opposition parties, especially the PPP, even before the announcement of election schedule by the Election Commission. PPP Senator Babar Awan says his party has so far filed 2,200 complaints, some on individual level and others by the party, with the Election Commission but to no avail.

Twenty-five complaints are from Gujrat, the hometown of Pervaiz Elahi, alone.

The PML-N has come up with 468 objections, according to its election monitoring cell in-charge Senator Ishaq Dar.

The situation is more serious where people (in about 100 cases) having blood relations with district or tehsil nazimeen are in the electoral race. Dar believes that suspension of local bodies coinciding with the announcement of the election schedule would have addressed 50 per cent of the allegations.

With the opposition resolving not to move the PCO-courts, the complainants have been left with no forum to seek intervention as the Election Commission has already demonstrated its inability to check the violation of its own election code.

Its secretary Kanwar Dilshad has said on record that he can do nothing even if documented or video-taped evidence about nazimeen’s interference in electoral process is provided. He has passed the buck on to the previous government for failing to legislate on the issue.

Dar does not buy the ECP argument. “The chief election commissioner enjoys wide powers, both constitutional and legal, to take to task the violators but he is failing to discharge his duties.”

Ironically, the ECP statement has aggravated the situation instead of improving it. Emboldened by the “confession” of the ECP about its inability to act, nazimeen and district government officials are now more openly running election campaigns of their favourite candidates. Also being reported are instances in which the revenue staff and police are threatening people of implicating them in false cases if they do not join electioneering of and vote for the PML-Q nominees.