PESHAWAR: As the local body election schedule has already been announced for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial assembly through a belated resolution on Thursday asked Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct the May 30 polls under the supervision of the judiciary.

“The judiciary should conduct local bodies’ elections in order to ensure transparency in the process,” said the resolution. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its coalition partners also supported the resolution moved by Shah Hussain Khan of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and Syed Jafar Shah of Awami National Party.

Five opposition parties in the house opposed holding elections under the supervision of the executive officers and demanded that judiciary conduct the electoral process.

Polling for elections is scheduled for May 30. Candidates have already begun filling nomination papers.

Says this will ensure transparency of May 30 electoral process

Election for village and neighbourhood councils will take place on nonparty basis, while for tehsil and district councils, it will held be on party basis.

When the session began on Thursday, JUI-F Shah Hussain Khan on a point of order said rigging would take place if the executive officers conducted elections in the province.

He said deputy commissioners had been notified as district returning officers for the coming elections, who were answerable to the chief minister.

The lawmaker pointed out that the entire election staff belonged to the executive and therefore, they could not remain neutral during the electoral process.

Parliamentary leader of Qaumi Watan Party Sikandar Khan Sherpao while supporting the mover expressed reservations about the late announcement of elections.

He said polling would be held on May 30 while returning officers would announce results on June 7. Sikandar said his party had opposed this decision and the matter had been brought to the notice of the commission.

He said election results should be declared on the next day of polling and that some political parties would benefit from the involvement of the executive in polls.

Minister for local government Inayatullah Khan said under the Constitution, the Election Commission was responsible to hold elections.

“The Election Commission will decide if elections are to be conducted under the supervision of judiciary or the district administration,” he said.

The minister said he was aware of the sensitivity to hold polls under the supervision of the executive officers.

Syed Jafar Shah, Raja Faisal Zaman, Munawar Khan and PTI and JI lawmakers also supported the mover.

Minister for public health engineering Shah Farman tried to remove apprehensions of the opposition parties.

He said 90 million ballot papers would be printed for polls.

The minister proposed that polling be held in two days.

He said polling for village and neighbourhood councils should be held on May 30 and polling for tehsil and district councils should be conducted the other day and demanded that his proposal should be included in the joint resolution.

However, Speaker Asad Qaisar did not entertain the plea.

Through another resolution, the house unanimously asked the provincial governor, Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan, to ensure action on resolutions and summaries of the provincial assembly.

On a point of order, ANP lawmaker Jafar Shah said the house had passed his privilege motion against the vice chancellor of University of Swat few days ago but action on it was awaited.

He said through the privilege motion, he was assured that the relevant vice chancellor would not hold official meetings but despite that, the governor chaired the meeting of the university’s Senate two days ago and endorsed all illegal and wrong decisions from the body.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2015

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