MUZAFFARABAD: The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will address concerns of political parties and provide them a level playing field, but political heads should avoid giving their own dates for election, lest it creates misunderstandings.

This was stated by AJK Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal at his meeting with the heads or senior representatives of political parties on Tuesday.

The meeting was held in the wake of allegations by some political parties, mainly the ruling PPP, that the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) had entered thousands of additional votes in the voter lists of 29 constituencies, located in AJK.

Dismissing the apprehensions as unfounded, the CEC reminded the participants that the agreement with Nadra was struck by the AJK government for verification of electoral rolls, exclusion of fake and inclusion of leftover votes.

The Election Commission, he said, was carrying out its responsibilities in accordance with the Constitution, relevant laws and the terms and conditions of the agreement.

He recalled that the demand for preparation of new electoral rolls came during his first meeting with the political heads following which it was decided that all requisite measures would be taken to make it happen.

Nadra was tasked to verify the lists, exclude bogus/dual votes and suggest inclusion of the leftover votes but not add votes on its own, because the power to add votes was vested in the registration officers under the amended law on electoral rolls.

Those who represented major parties included Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed from PPP, Leader of the Opposition Raja Farooq Haider and Shah Ghulam Qadir from PML-N, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan from Muslim Conference, Khawaja Farooq Ahmed from PTI, Tahir Khokhar from MQM and Nabila Irshad from Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2016