Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, the Additional Secretary of the ECP, Syed Sher Afgan, said neither the services of ECP Secretary Ishtiaq Ahmad and the Election Commissioner of Punjab, Mehboob Anwar, had been extended for favouring any political party nor the transfer of Tariq Qaderi from Punjab to Sindh as the election commissioner was linked to his alleged utterances.

Mehboob Anwar and Tariq Qaderi were present on the occasion.

Sher Afgan said the services of Ishtiaq Ahmad and Mehboob Anwar had been extended to hold local bodies’ elections in view of the directive of the Supreme Court. In Punjab, an expert was required for the gigantic task.

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The retirement of the secretary was due in a week and the provincial election commissioner was to retire in the last week of December, he added.

He said that Tariq Qaderi was transferred to Sindh because Mehboob Anwar, after completion of his job in Sindh, had resumed his office as the election commissioner of Punjab.

Sher Afgan said that it was necessary to inform the people about facts as the PTI chief had made personal attacks, putting the integrity of the officials at stake.

Referring to Imran Khan’s press conference earlier in the day, the official said that the PTI chief had alleged that Tariq Qaderi was transferred from Punjab to Sindh after he was asked by retired Justice Riaz Kiyani, a member of the ECP from Punjab, to see Pervez Malik, a leader of PML-N. When he met him, he (Qaderi) was asked to remove the banners and posters of Imran Khan from outside the offices of the commission in Lahore.

Mr Qaderi asked Mr Malik if the posters of Sharif brothers should also be removed. This was reported to Justice Kiyani, who became angry and transferred him to Sindh.

Imran Khan had claimed that Mr Qaderi had met him and told him that it appeared the coming elections would be no more than “match fixing”.

Mr Qaderi said at the press conference that neither was he asked by Justice Kiyani to meet Pervez Malik and get instruction from him. Nor did he ever meet Pervez Malik. “In fact I don’t know him at all.”

The additional secretary said that as an ECP official he had held meetings with politicians on administrative affairs. Besides, he was posted in Punjab temporarily as Mehboob Anwar, who was the election commissioner of Punjab, was assigned a three-month job in Sindh and after completion of his job, he rejoined the position and “I was transferred to Sindh”.

About Mehboob Anwar, the PTI chief had alleged that he was asked by the Punjab chief secretary and the additional chief secretary on May 9, two days before the general elections, to provide 200 people and get extra ballot papers printed for five divisions of Punjab.

These divisions accounted for 98 constituencies of the National Assembly. As a reward for his services in the elections, he was given extension, Imran alleged.

Mehboob Anwar said that he had met neither the chief secretary nor the additional chief secretary of Punjab. “Nor did I get any ballot paper printed from any press as the paper used in the ballot had been specially prepared.

The ballot papers could only be printed at the government-run presses.”

But he conceded that he gathered 200 people for numbering the counterfoils on May 10, a day before the polling day.

Mr Sher Afgan said as far as the two extensions given to Mr Ishtiaq were concerned, one was given by the previous government and the other by the present government.

On other related issues, he said, a press conference would be held by the ECP in Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2014