Friday, May 17, 2013

Senate body asks NADRA, ECP to brief on bogus votes

By Ijaz Kakakhel

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control on Thursday urged NADRA and ECP to verify fingerprints of voters where different elements have cast bogus votes in general election on May 11.
The committee asked the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to brief the body during the next meeting whether they have the capacity to verify the fingerprints.
The committee met with Senator Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hassani, the chair at the parliament house and was attended by Senator Muhammad Yousaf, Mukhtiar Ahmad Dhamrah, Pervez Rashid, Shahi Syed, Begum Najma Hameed, Additional secretary Ministry of Interior Ashfaq Ghumman, Inspector General of Police Punjab Usman Khattak, Superintendent of Police (SP) Islamabad Jamil Hashmi and other senior officials.
The members of the committee said the government had made poor security arrangements on the election day, especially in Balochistan and Karachi. Due to poor security arrangements on the election day and mismanagement of the ECP, bogus votes were cast in a number of constituencies in Balochistan and Karachi. They urged NADRA and ECP to verify fingerprints of voters where different elements have cast bogus votes.
Senator Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hassani said that fair elections were not held even in one percent of Baloch dominated areas in Balochistan. “The ECP has conducted elections through personnel of Balochistan Levis who are illiterate. How could one expect fair and transparent elections?” he questioned.
He said that people in Balochistan will start protesting and the situation will further deteriorate, if the ECP failed to take notice of this serious issue.
Senator Shahi Syed said that despite poor security arrangements on the election day, his party has wholeheartedly accepted the election results but could not understand why the political parties including PML-N, PTI, JI and JUI-F who have won the election are staging protests in Karachi. He said that NADRA has the capacity to verify fingerprints therefore ECP and NADRA need to verify prints, wherever there are reports of rigging.
“I request PML-N, PTI and JUI-F to end their protest and adopt a legal way for addressing the issue,” he said.
Senator Muktiar Ahmed Dhamrah said the government did not give practical shape to the security plan, proposed by the concerned authorities before the election. He said that his house located in Nawabshah was besieged by armed men for four days but the concerned authorities, even the ministry of interior did not take any action in this regard.
“We are demanding fingerprint verification and NADRA should make it clear whether it has the capacity to do this or not,” said Senator Pervaiz Rashid.
On this the committee directed NADRA and ECP to brief the committee.
Additional Secretary Interior, Ashfaq Ghumman informed the committee that NADRA has the capacity to verify the fingerprints.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

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