New voters’ list incomplete

THE Election Commission of Pakistan ordered preparation of new electoral rolls as against the previous practice of enrolling people reaching the age of 18 to the existing voters’ list.

The need for this exercise was apparently based on a perception that all citizens possess the national identity card.

But when about 30 per cent of the rural people do not possess ID cards the new electoral rolls would hardly be reliable.

The preparation of computerised electoral rolls has been recently completed in Sindh. The process started on July 14, and concluded on September 30. Due to heavy rainfall in Sindh during July and August, the enrolment deadline was extended to October 15.

The unprecedented rains in Sindh, particularly in Hyderabad, Tando Mohammed Khan, Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Mithi, Sanghar, Badin and Thatta districts disrupted normal life.

Stagnant water in fields and villages and even cities is still a problem for people. The rainwater has not been drained out from many areas.

The process of registration of voters was seriously affected and a majority of people were deprived of their fundamental right of getting registered as voters.

There is need to reorient the mechanism to register such people and give them an opportunity to exercise their basic right to vote.

The registration process in Sindh was also adversely affected by the untimely action of the provincial education department to ban teachers’ associations.

The decision was taken when the work had just started. The teachers’ associations boycotted electoral duties. The government could have put off the action against the associations till the completion of the lists.

It may be pointed out that almost one-third of the people in remote areas of the province do not possess computerised identity cards.

Nadra personnel are yet to reach the areas to issue the CNIC. As such, the people were surely left out of the enrolment process.

The election commission had banned transfer of education department's staff till the process of registration is completed, but there are numerous complaints about district nazims making such transfers to influence the process of registration and preparation of the lists.One appreciates the desire to prepare computerised electoral lists but the way the work has been done, a large number of people have been deprived of their right to be on the voters’ list and to exercise their right of franchise.

When the method of preparing the lists was changed it was obligatory to make adequate arrangements to provide computerised ID cards to people in the country.

The recently completed lists are in no way representative. The election commission must take stock of the situation to ensure that eligible people are not deprived of their right to vote--the basis of democracy.

Now the only way to correct the situation and remove people’s misgivings is to cancel the controversial lists and to use the previous list till such time ID cards are provided to all citizens and comprehensive and reliable voters’ lists are prepared.