ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission decided on Tuesday to take steps for timely procurement of material for the upcoming general election, but deferred a plan to place electoral rolls on its website after the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) voiced concern over the proposal.
A meeting of the commission, presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Hamid Ali Mirza and attended by its four members and senior officials, decided to ensure timely procurement of ballot boxes, imported paper and other material keeping in view the gigantic and time-consuming exercise.Official sources told Dawn that Nadra's deputy chairman Tariq Malik had opposed the idea of placing electoral rolls on the ECP website, saying the data could be hit by hackers. He pointed out that the database contained details of people from all walks of life, including nuclear scientists, intelligence agency personnel and politicians, and it was in the national interest to maintain secrecy of their particulars.
The commission decided to take up the matter at the next meeting.
It expressed concern over the transfer of a government employee during a by-election in NA-9 (Mardan-I) and warned the authorities concerned against repeating this in future. "Any transfer or posting even on personal requests of relevant officers should not be entertained after the issuance of election schedule," the CEC said.
The commission approved adoption of the geographical information system (GIS) to ensure accurate delimitation and easy access to information to be interlinked with the system in future. It approved the appointment of retired district and sessions judges in election tribunals to resolve disputes in the specified period of 120 days through day to day hearing.
The meeting scrutinised documents submitted by 15 newly-formed political parties and found them in conformity with the provisions of Political Parties Order, 2002.
The parties are: Awami Ittehad Party, Pakistan Muslim League (Muttahida), People's Muslim League Pakistan, Muttahida Qabail Party, Pakistan Conservative Party, All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, Pakistan Muslim League Council, Sada-i-Pakistan Party, Tehreek-i-Ittehad-i-Adam, All Pakistan Youth Working Party, Khud Mukhtar Pakistan Party, Pakistan United Inqalab Party, Pakistan Muslim League Democratic, Pakistan Muslim League (Safdar) and Watan National League Pakistan. The commission also allotted symbols to the already-recognised political parties as per their preferences. The parties and their symbols are: Pakistan Fatima Jinnah Muslim League (Stag), Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Noorani (Fan), Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek (Gun), Awami Justice Party (Tumbler), Muttahida Muslim League (Bus), Sindh Dost Party (House), Ittehad Alam-i-Islam (Flower Pot), Awami Tehreek (Whistle), Bahawalpur National Awami Party (Bull Cart), Sindh Taraqi Passand Party (Television) and Jannat Pakistan Party (Fountain).
The commission accepted a request by Sarwar Ejaz Qadri to change of the name of his party from Sunni Tehreek to Pakistan Sunni Tehreek.
The meeting was attended by the commission's members Justice (retd) Muhammad Roshan Essani, Justice (retd) Riaz Kayani, Justice (retd) Shazad Akbar Khan and Justice (retd) Fazal-ur-Rehman and its secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan.
