PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Election Commission has expressed concern about the transfer and posting of nine officers declared district returning officers and returning officers in tribal regions, fearing that that reshuffle could adversely impact on the ongoing electoral process.

On Thursday, the KP establishment department had announced a major reshuffle of the provincial bureaucracy with the ECP approval causing the transfer and posting of around 165 civil and police officers.

Provincial election commissioner Maqbool Ahmad wrote a letter to ECP secretary Babar Yaqoob on Friday voicing concern about the transfer of nine officers, who were posted in the erstwhile tribal regions and were declared DROs and returning officers for the July 25 general elections.

KP Election Commission fears reshuffle can hamper electoral process

In the letter available with Dawn, Mr Mqabool said in May, the ECP had notified DROs and ROs for the July 25 general elections but the establishment department on Thursday transferred several of them in a major bureaucratic reshuffle ahead of elections.

“The transfer and posting of DROs and ROs at this belated and critical stage could hamper the smooth election process,” he said.

He urged the ECP to take up the matter with the KP government for the cancelation of the transfer of officers already notified as DROs and ROs in Fata to ensure the smooth holding of elections.

The nine officials include Bannu commissioner Syed Abdul Jabbar Shah, FR Bannu AC Ashfaq Khan, Bajaur region’s deputy commissioner Abdul Amir Khattak, North Waziristan region’s DC Mohammad Ayaz and ADC Abdul Nasir Khan, Kurram region’s DC Baseer Khan and ADC Nasrullah Khan, South Waziristan region’s ADC Ashfaq Ahmad, and Jamrud region’s AC Zahid Usman Kakakhel.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2018