ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has suspended its provincial election commissioner following the saga involving the intrusion of its strong room by some unidentified persons in Karachi who destroyed the election record.

The incident raising questions over the security of key election record took place on the night of Sept 17 amid a mysterious withdrawal of police team deployed to guard sensitive election record in a Strong Room at TCP in Karachi’s Pipri area.

Locks at the gates had not only been broken but replaced with new ones by the unknown intruders who damaged the gunny bags of several polling stations and left the scene without any hurdle.

The ECP has been told that the SHO concerned says he had withdrawn the police team for half an hour to provide security to an Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) event, but the SHO has refused to give a written statement.

According to an ECP notification, Provincial Election Commissioner of Sindh Sharifullah and Director of Admin Election Commission of Sindh Azhar Hussain Tanwari have been suspended for 120 days over incompetence and misconduct.

According to the notification, Election Officer of Karachi Khuda Bakhsh has also been suspended.

The three suspended officers have been told to remain in Karachi until completion of the inquiry. Joint Provincial Election Commissioner Ali Asghar Sial has been appointed Acting Election Commissioner of Sindh.

A fact-finding inquiry committee has been formed and told to complete the investigation and submit its report within three days.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Following through
09 Apr, 2025

Following through

THE government’s decision to establish the National Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Centre (Niftac) ...
Robe rebellion
09 Apr, 2025

Robe rebellion

THE unrest within the Islamabad High Court shows no sign of abating, and it is perhaps just as well that the ...
Fearing birth
09 Apr, 2025

Fearing birth

AMID dramatic aid cuts, the WHO has sounded the alarm about the dangers to Pakistan’s mothers and newborns, asking...
Meltdown
08 Apr, 2025

Meltdown

A full-blown trade war is upon us as the era of the rules-based, multilateral trading order is nearly over.
Settling differences
Updated 08 Apr, 2025

Settling differences

Unless there is a broad agreement on the path forward, the country will remain trapped in a cycle of recurring instability.
Glacial ingenuity
08 Apr, 2025

Glacial ingenuity

NECESSITY is indeed the mother of invention, as witnessed in Gilgit-Baltistan. In these areas, where climate change...