ISLAMABAD, Feb 13: The Election Commission on Wednesday rejected allegations levelled by PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif about transparency of the electoral process and said the commission was proceeding in accordance with the law and to carry out its obligation to hold transparent polls.

Election Commission secretary Kanwar Mohammad Dilshad said in a statement that the commission had posted details of polling stations and other records on the ECP website. “Anybody desiring any information can contact assistant election commissioners for guidance.”

He said holding free, fair and transparent polls were the responsibility of the commission. “We are making every possible effort to make the elections free, fair and transparent.”

He said the EC had set up complaint cells at the provincial headquarters and the secretariat in Islamabad to take cognizance of complaints of candidates and political parties. He said that notices were being served on parties violating the code of conduct and returning officers were taking up each and every complaint.

Mr Dilshad also rejected allegations about electoral rolls and said a number of steps had been taken to make these rolls error-free and draft electoral rolls had been displayed for inviting objections, corrections and changes.

About postal ballots, he said there was a procedure for getting the postal ballots on a prescribed form. He said this year 1,681,000 postal ballots had been printed and according to the information received from across the country by the due date of Dec 28, about 80,000 postal ballots were issued.

During the elections in 2002, 54,062 postal ballots were issued.

Mr Dilshad said the Election Commission did not receive any complaint about the postal ballots and denied that the commission had issued any ballot paper with the symbol of ‘Cycle’.

He said the commission regarded all parties as equal and political leaders should avoid hurling baseless allegations and ensure the conduct of polls in a peaceful manner.

Talking to Dawn, Kanwar Dilshad said the commission had completed scrutiny of around 1,500 code violation complaints filed by various candidates. He said that district and session judges had conducted a thorough scrutiny of all complaints and found that most of them were not genuine, adding that written investigation reports had been sent to each complainant and also put on the ECP website.

Opinion

Editorial

The challenge before banks
Updated 27 Feb, 2025

The challenge before banks

The way we do banking today will not exist in next 10 years, only those will survive who are capable of adopting new technologies.
Torkham tension
27 Feb, 2025

Torkham tension

CONTROVERSY over demarcation of the common frontier is one of the key obstacles standing in the way of better...
Weak link
27 Feb, 2025

Weak link

KARACHI — economic powerhouse, cultural melting pot, and bustling metropolis of over 20m souls. There is much that...
Forgotten inmates
Updated 26 Feb, 2025

Forgotten inmates

Diversion programmes are needed for minor offences and people with psychosocial disabilities should receive treatment rather than be jailed.
Controlling crypto
26 Feb, 2025

Controlling crypto

THOUGH Pakistan’s official position on cryptocurrencies has evolved considerably over the years, there still seems...
Deadly roads
26 Feb, 2025

Deadly roads

DRIVING in Karachi can be hazardous, with chaos on the roads, and very little by way of following rules and...