ISLAMABAD, Jan 11: Chief Election Commissioner Irshad Hasan Khan on Tuesday has said that he always believed in supremacy of law and performed his duty in accordance with his conscience.

"Institutions are sacred as individuals come and go but what matters is their contribution to building the institutions," the outgoing CEC said at a full commission reference held here on Tuesday.

The CEC had already announced that he would leave on Jan 15 after completing his three-year tenure. The reference, first-ever for an outgoing CEC, was attended by members of the commission, comprising Justice Nasim Sikandar of the Lahore High Court, Justice Ahmad Khan Lashari of the Balochistan High Court and Justice Muhammad Sadiq Leghari of the Sindh High Court.

The CEC said that the way he had conducted general elections 2002 had helped improve the election commission's credibility. He said the commission had prepared a manual of suggestions for polling agents, which was also provided to political parties.

Likewise, opinion of political parties had been obtained before issuance of the code of conduct for candidates. The CEC said that a code of conduct for electronic media had also been issued for the first time during his tenure to ensure even-handed coverage of all political parties.

Focussing on the transparency of the election process, he said that provincial governors, ministers and nazims had been directed to resign before filing their nomination papers.

Earlier, Justice Nasim Sikandar paid tribute to the outgoing CEC and said that Irshad Hasan Khan showed great competence and an unparalleled sense of duty. The CEC, he said, had steered the commission successfully by holding general elections 2002 in a "most transparent and independent manner". He said that the outgoing CEC had taken "historic steps to strengthen the electoral and democratic system".