PPP regrets ECP’s inaction on serious complaints

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Wednesday expressed disappointment at the inaction of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on serious complaints filed by the PPP Election Cell and said that this inaction not only cuts at the root of fair elections but also encourages anti-democratic elements to violate the election laws and directives of ECP with impunity.

Incharge of the Central Election Cell of PPP Taj Haider had complained against the transfer of more than one hundred assistant commissioners in Sindh by the provincial caretaker government in gross violation of the ECP directives. Senator Taj Haider said that the interference of Director General FIA Bashir Memon in the election of his brother in Hala was a most serious matter. “The PPP’s Election Cell had requested that Bashir Memon may be posted at an alternate post, from where he could not influence the voters. Unfortunately ECP ignored the request, notwithstanding the fact that ECP in other similar cases had ordered transfers of officers who were influencing voters in favour of their close relatives,” he said in a statement. Taj Haider said, that the caretaker information minister Sindh instead of condemning terrorist attack on the motorcade of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto had reacted in a most partial and offensive manner on the media. “Our genuine demand for his resignation had gone unheard and no action had been taken against the caretaker minister by the ECP,” he said. He said the complaints regarding provision of police protocol to GDA candidate in PS-27 (Kotdiji) and removal of PPP panaflexes by SHO Aabpara in Islamabad were also serious matters that have unfortunately been ignored. Taj Haider said that in Elections 2013, the ECP had even ignored the blocking of the election campaign on gun point by Taliban. “One hoped that in 2018, ECP shall ensure that complaints filed by the PPP, will be looked at and decided as per law. PPP was waiting as yet for that to happen,” he said.