Restoration of DCs post illogical: Kanwar Dilshad

Islamabad

Former secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Chairman National Democratic Foundation Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad on Wednesday said the aim for restoration of deputy commissioner post was not logical considering the given political context of the country and largely being considered that the Punjab government, perhaps, has planned to hijack the upcoming general election through this modus operandi.

Kanwar Dilshad, in a statement issued here, raised his concerns that the Punjab government first used the delaying tactics for the local bodies elections and proceeded after strong judicial intervention, but with promulgation of an interest-based legislation where local body representatives feel deprived and have no say or power to be exercised for effective and fruitful service delivery without any negative pressure on them.

He emphasised that the final nail in the coffin of local governance system was the restoration of Deputy Commissioner post where whole district machinery has put under its control whereby it would be the authority to make all electoral arrangements including the deputation of returning officers, thus the whole electoral system would be managed through deputy commissioners and would serve the provincial government legally for an institutionalised but hidden way of rigging.

Kanwar Dilshad added that such an arrangement has proven fatal results historically like the alleged two thirds majority of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto acquired through same modus operandi was ultimately taken over by the military ruler General Ziaul Haq and same method employed by General Ayub Khan to defeat Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah in the presidential election.