LAHORE: Participants in a consultation on electoral reforms arranged by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Friday proposed several measures to ensure properly managed fair and free elections, including a permanent election commission independent of the judiciary.

The consultation was the second of its kind arranged by the HRCP. The first was held on Aug 28 and its recommendations were sent to the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms.

Friday’s meeting discussed the recommendations and different aspects of the election process, including electoral rolls, delimitation, voters education, election observers, women’s freedom to vote, minorities in Pakistan’s electoral system, electoral expenses and issues relating to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), like polling staff, returning officers, and modernisation.

The topic was introduced by HRCP Secretary-General IA Rehman. HRCP Joint Director Husain Naqi and lawyer Asad Jamal conducted the meeting.

The participants agreed that the chief election commissioner or ECP members should not be taken from the judiciary. These should either be the retired civil servants or members of civil society having vast election-conducting experience.

Similarly, they said, the acting chief election commissioner should not be a serving judge. The slot should be given to the senior most serving ECP member. The role and duty of each and every ECP member should also be clearly defined.

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They said the judicial officers should not be appointed as returning officers. Appointing judicial officers as returning officers was illegal. Conducting elections was either a political or executive function. Therefore, the ECP should appoint its own district election officers.

They recommended introduction of the election result management system in vogue in other democracies to avoid the current political crisis emanated from the disputed outcome of the last elections, permanent staff for the ECP and full application of its existing powers, linking electoral machines to the cellular network, giving a major role to Nadra for data verification and allowing public access to ECP information on election.

Published in Dawn, November 22th, 2014