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Saturday, May 18, 2013
Petition filed in SC against ECP, NADRA on election resultsBy Hasnaat Malik
ISLAMABAD: A constitutional petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Friday against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), NADRA and few TV anchors under Article 184 (3) of the constitution.
The petition has been moved in view of several complaints of rigging in the general elections across the country. It calls for the verification of fingerprints of those people who voted in the elections. Petitioner Dilawar Sajjad filed the plea through his counsel Tariq Asad, nominating as respondents the ECP through its secretary, NADRA through its chairman, anchorpersons Hamid Mir, Kashif Abbasi and Mubbashir Luqman. The petitioner has requested the Supreme Court to direct the ECP and NADRA to verify the fingerprints of the voters to separate real voters from those who hijacked the polling process.
Sajjad has pleaded that the ECP be directed to suspend the notifications of winning candidates across the country and the winning candidates be restrained from taking oath until the election commission gives a “final, fair and just verdict” on the matter after the approval of the court. He has contended that the elections were conducted and supervised by a hierarchy of executive officials ranging from teachers and constables who were either inefficient or approachable by the influential politicians. The presiding officers and the assistant presiding officers under by-laws have to be of Grade 17 and 16, respectively, but these duties had been assigned to very junior officials like constables and junior teachers.
The petitioner has not called for re-election but only asked for verification and separation of bogus votes through fingerprint verification technology. He said that the bogus votes which have been cast with the help of presiding officers may be discarded and then the actual result be announced which would be acceptable to the people and the political parties. The fingerprint technology can separate fake voters from the genuine, he contended.
Sajjad said that despite the threat of terrorism the voters had come out to vote on the election day. He said they have discharged their responsibility remarkably well and it is now the ECP’s turn to “show courage”. He said if they were not satisfied today, voters would never show faith in the electoral process and democracy for a long time. The petitioner further stated that it was a matter of utmost seriousness for all voters to be assured that their mandate has not been stolen. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk