MULTAN, Jan 3: PPP Punjab President Shah Mehmood Qureshi has alleged that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is not working as an independent body and pre-poll rigging is continuing. He was referring to a departmental directive issued to schoolteachers, compelling them to cast their votes through postal ballots and that too collectively.

Qureshi was talking to reporters here on Thursday after distributing copies of a specimen of application communicated by an Education Department’s official to her subordinates to apply for permission to cast their votes through postal ballot.

The Khanewal deputy education officer (women) had sent a specimen application to all the teachers who had been deputed on election duties as polling personnel and directed them to write an application to the Jahanian returning officer to allow them to cast their votes through postal ballot to their ‘favourite’ candidates.

The DEO had directed all staffers to meet her at her office on or before Dec 24 along with their vote numbers, copy of election duty letters and copy of National Identity Card and in case they flouted these instructions, they should remain ready for any penal consequences.

Qureshi said that he would submit this copy to ECP also, but, he said, he did not have any hope that the commission would take any action because it was not an independent body.