ECP TAKES STERN ACTION AGAINST CULPRITS FOUND ESTABLISHING ILLEGAL ELECTION OFFICE IN LAHORE
Islamabad, the 22nd June, 2010.- The Secretary, ECP Mr. Ishtiak Ahmad Khan has said that a news item has appeared on the news channels regarding unearthing of bogus Election Office in Fazalia Colony, Lahore. In this regard, a detailed report has been received from the Returning Officer for bye-election in Constituency No. PP-160, Lahore-XXIV containing the details of said incident.
The Secretary has further informed that the Hon’ble Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan (CEC) has taken very serious view of this incident and has directed that strict legal action may be taken against all the culprits under the law. In compliance of this, the ECP has taken the following actions:
a) The following Officials have been suspended forthwith from service and disciplinary action has been initiated against them under the relevant rules:
i- Mr. Muhammad Jamil, Election Officer,
ii- Mr. Asher Roy Bhatti, Draftsman,
iii- Mr. Khalid Ismail, UDC,
iv- Syed Shabbir Hussain Shah, UDC
v- Mr. Imran Gill, LDC
b) As the Punjab Police has not registered the FIR, therefore, the Ministry of Interior has been asked to investigate through FIA and to take further necessary action in accordance with law.
c) The Ministry of Interior has also been asked to deploy Rangers at all the 145 Polling Stations in PP-160 Lahore-XXIV, in addition to the patrolling in the area of constituency to ensure free, fair and impartial conduct of election on polling day i-e the 24th June, 2010.
d) Furthermore, in order to monitor the election process closely and efficiently, the ECP has constituted seven monitoring teams which would remain present in their respective jurisdiction of the constituency throughout the polling day and report any untoward incident if taken place at any polling station to the Returning Officer and the Control Room which has been established in the office of Provincial Election Commissioner, Punjab, wherein, telephone No. 99210041 and 99211024 have been installed for this purpose.
The Secretary has also clarified that according to the report received from the Returning Officer, the election activities of the bye-election are going smoothly as polling bags for handing over to the Presiding officers were prepared in the evening of 21st June, 2010 under the supervision of a senior officer of ECP, as such, there is no danger of misusing the election material. He further informed that with a view to precluding the possibility of recurrence of such malpractices in the future, a decision has already been taken to prepare complete, accurate and updated Computerized Electoral Rolls in collaboration with NADRA to solve this problem on a permanent basis.