AJK Election Commission resigns to its helplnessness

By Tariq Naqash

MUZAFFARABAD, June 18: The AJK Election Commission (EC) on Saturday confessed to its "impotence" in the face of faulty electoral rolls as criticism from political parties and individuals mounted in this regard.

In a statement, an unnamed EC spokesman also made no bones in telling that “since little time was left in the (day of) polling, redress of hundreds of pending complaints about electoral rolls and polling scheme was next to impossible.”

The statement appeared to be a veiled attempt to shift the blame for faulty voter lists on the government for it had suggested employment of the revenue department’s field staff, mainly the patwaris, for the purpose instead of the education department teachers.

“The Election Commission got the electoral rolls for 2011 general election prepared through the field staff of revenue department, instead of the education department staff, under the decision of the AJK government. (And) after the printing, plentiful errors in the lists came to fore which were corrected through the same staff under the supervision of respective deputy commissioners,” he said.

“However, nevertheless, there were still mistakes in the rolls and the EC did not have enough staff of its own to rectify them completely,” he added.

He said the polling schemes were prepared by the assistant returning officers (tehsildars) in coordination with their parent (revenue) department under the supervision of the returning officers, who were members of the subordinate judiciary.

However, he admitted, there had also been numerous complaints about the polling schemes.

“Let it be clear the Election Commission has no role, either in preparation of electoral rolls or in compilation of polling schemes… While the rolls were prepared by the field staff of revenue department, the polling schemes were also prepared with their cooperation,” he said.

The EC statement came as political parties, including the ruling Muslim Conference, have mounted criticism against errors and mistakes in the electoral rolls. Many candidates have gone to the courts to get the dual and bogus votes quashed.

On Saturday, PML-N chief organiser Raja Farooq Haider said thousands of bogus votes enrolled in AJK put a big question mark on the credibility and transparency of elections.

Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, Peoples Party AJK candidate from Muzaffarabad city, has already submitted an application in the EC along with evidence of more than 3000 dual votes which he alleges were enlisted at the behest of AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, who has launched his son from here.

Regarding other issues, the EC spokesman asserted that all arrangements for polling had been completed. Polling material had reached the concerned districts and the money for polling allowance and movement scheme had also been granted to the returning officers and deputy commissioners concerned, respectively.

Stating that directives had been issued to all concerned to conduct polling in a peaceful atmosphere, he warned that the CEC may initiate disciplinary action under the AJK Election Ordinance 1970 against those government officials found guilty of irresponsibility and negligence.

Similarly, he added, riotousness on the part of candidates or their supporters could also lead to the disqualification of the former.

Ends