FAISALABAD, Dec 2: Jail inmates can cast their votes in the presidential referendum, but not in the Jan 8 elections, Dawn has learnt. There are 5,500 prisoners in the two jails in the district, of them 2,700 are in the Central Jail and 2,800 in the District Jail, who along with other thousands of inmates in the country will have no right to cast their vote.

Sources in the Prisons Department said that some government departments had approached the jail staff ahead of the presidential referendum on April 30, 2002, and asked about the detail of incarcerated felons. Sources chose not to mention whether it was the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) or any other department that had approached them for the purpose.

They said that on the referendum day, ECP employees, ignoring all rules and regulations, came to the prisons and asked all prisoners to cast their vote in the favour of Gen Pervez Musharraf.

After president Rafiq Tarar was sent home on June 20, 2001, the latter ordered a referendum to legitimise his rule for next five years. Sources say that this time the ECP or any other government has not approached them for postal ballots.

An ECP source said a jailbird had to plea the returning officer (RO) for a postal ballot through the jail authorities, and same process was adopted for balloting. But this practice will not be adopted for the general elections.

Sources say balloting in jail can be rigged as jail authorities can influence the prisoners.

Deputy Inspector General (prisons) Nadeem Warraich told Dawn he would follow the law in case of prisoners’ votes.

Faisalabad Deputy Election Commissioner Malik Masood said the facility of postal ballot was only for government officials and they were entitled to cast their votes even in confinement.

He said it was not happening the first time that prisoners had no right to cast their vote.