ISLAMABAD: A letter submitted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to the Supreme Court disclosed that over 40 presiding officers in NA-125 had been replaced three days before the May 11, 2013 general elections at the request of a candidate belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Khawaja Saad Rafique of the PML-N had defeated Hamid Khan in that constituency.

The letter signed by Khalid Mehmood Bhatti, returning officer of NA-125, was submitted along with an ECP report on a petition filed by the PTI seeking verification of voters’ thumb impressions in four key constituencies secured by PML-N candidates.

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had defeated PTI chief Imran Khan in NA-122 (Lahore), Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was elected from NA-110 (Sialkot), Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique defeated PTI’s Hamid Khan in NA-125 (Lahore) and Sadiq Baloch won the NA-154 (Lodhran) seat by defeating PTI’s Secretary General Jahangir Tareen.

Returning officer Khalid Bhatti said in the letter: “Appointments of polling staff, including presiding officers, were made from the available staff provided by the office of the district returning officer, Lahore…About three days before the polling, Mr Hamid Khan, the PTI candidate, visited the constituency (NA-125) and expressed reservations over the appointments of presiding officers belonging to the LDA (Lahore Development Authority) and PHA (Parks and Horticulture Agency).

“To alleviate his concerns and ensure impartiality and transparency, despite acute shortage of staff and the electoral exercise having reached its fag end, more than 40 presiding officers belonging to aforesaid departments and their sister organisations, i.e. Wasa (Water and Sanitation Agency), Tepa (Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency), were replaced.”

When contacted, Hamid Khan said it was the job of a returning officer to replace presiding officers since the Supreme Court had in an identical matter ruled that employees of provincial governments could not be deputed as presiding officers.

“I only brought the apex court’s direction to the knowledge of the returning officer after that he replaced about 40 of the 265 presiding officers of NA-125.

“My concerns were genuine because being employee of the Punjab government led by Shahbaz Sharif the officials of LDA, Wasa and other departments could manipulate the election process,” he said.

Despite his reservations, Hamid Khan alleged, the returning officer had deputed a number of employees of the Punjab government in polling stations.

Published in Dawn, May 31th, 2014