ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) retired Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan has urged the Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk to activate all state machinery to ensure free and fair elections.

“Elections are an essential feature of democracy. A free and fair election provides confidence to its citizens that their right of opinion is safe and reliable in terms of confidentiality. ‘Fair’ means that all registered political parties have an equal right to contest the elections, campaign for voter support and hold meetings and rallies,” he said, according to a statement issued on Wednesday.

“A country cannot be truly democratic until its citizens have the opportunity to choose their representatives through elections that are free and fair. Essential development efforts cannot succeed without a legitimate and democratically elected government that is responsive and accountable to its citizens,” said Justice Chowhan.

NCHR asks caretakers to provide a level playing field to all parties

He further said the present state of affair needed improvement in this direction and unfair elections would be against human rights and democratic norms.

“There are rumours that all the players do not enjoy equal playgrounds. This will be dangerous for democracy and ultimately for country,” the NCHR chairman said.

He said electoral laws must offer equal conditions and opportunities for citizens to have access to polling stations and to vote.

They also must offer equal conditions and opportunities to all parties and candidates taking part in the elections. Democracy granted rights to citizens and equally imposed responsibilities in reciprocation to those rights, he said.

“The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is requested to attend to complaints pertaining to rigging or undue influence by any political party. This will be in great interest of human rights and for democracy. The caretaker cabinet in Pakistan has one primary role that is to create conducive environment for free and fair elections in the country,” he said.

Chairman NCHR urged Nasirul Mulk to activate all state machinery to play due role in the conduct of free and fair election, which was the duty of the interim setup.

“The armed and security forces are at the disposal of ECP in pursuit for fair and free election and this should be visibly shown. This initiates another important issue regarding the impartial and non-political role of these forces to avoid any notion of irregularity and intimidation by any political party,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2018