LAHORE, Aug 26: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has said the government has attempted to manipulate the local elections in such a way as to ensure that these institutions remain under the influence of the ruling party and its allies.

“The elections were not only massively rigged, both before and on the day of the ballot, but also served a serious blow to the concept of multi-party and pluralist democracy,” HRCP chairperson Asma Jahangir said in a press statement on Friday.

She said the government’s choice of holding local elections on non-party basis has proved that such an electoral methodology was not compatible with democratic norms and it also promoted and encouraged corruption.

She said the election process was vitiated by lack of seriousness and professional expertise as the ruling party flouted with impunity the rules and the code of conduct issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan. “The conduct of the polls showed gross deficiencies in the whole process and also the indignation of the country’s establishment for a free democratic choice system which has caused a serious misgiving about the possibility of the general election of 2007 to be held in a free, impartial and democratic manner.”

Ms Jahangir said while the HRCP was preparing a complete report on the conduct of the local election, it could be said with a certain degree of assurance that the polls were held in a state of chaos and mismanagement as was witnessed on the polling day.

She said the local election followed sweeping changes in the local government ordinances which gave the chief ministers vast powers to subjugate all institutions at all tiers by overruling decisions earlier taken with regard to local governments by limiting their appeal. To begin with, the union councils’ strength was reduced and the biggest victim in the process were the women.

The HRCP chairperson said the commission had received a number of complaints regarding delimitation in such a way as to suit the ruling party. Such complaints were rampant in Sindh in particular where Hyderabad and Dadu districts, in particular, were so demarcated as to harm an opposition party. Again, complaints especially regarding the same province suggested that laws were abused to marginalize the same opposition party.

“So extensive has been the impact of pre-poll rigging on the outcome of the elections that the HRCP was not convinced of a need to conduct a detailed monitoring of the polls. The message had already gone out much before the polling day that the establishment wanted to win the election by all means. The laws and rules were so manipulated and administrative steps so crudely taken that candidates were left with no option except to join the ruling party or its allies as the safest way to win,” Ms Jahangir stated.

As for the Election Commission of Pakistan, she said it had failed in discharging its duty honestly. The arrangements made for the process since the beginning were faulty and chaotic to a degree that it failed to supply foolproof electoral rolls which was the most fundamental prerequisite. The failure of the ECP had once again proven that the country needed such an independent commission which involved the opposition in nomination its chief.

“As things stand, no-one can be sure of a free and fair general election in 2007. All parties, including the government, must realise the current elections are nothing but a meaningless exercise and political parties should consider if joining the process is wise under the circumstances,” the HRCP chief concluded.