The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) remained surrounded by controversies throughout the year not only because of getting two of its members appointed but also because of being at loggerheads with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

The series of disagreements began in early 2021 with the Daska by-polls. The delay in the appointment of ECP members from two provinces also caused a delay in its proper functioning.

The first controversy began after the ECP declared NA-75 Daska by-polls void amid serious complaints from the opposition party of rigging and unnecessary delay in announcement of results. The ECP exercised this power while hearing an application by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) candidate Nosheen Iftikhar. The ruling party reacted strongly. The ECP, later, set up a committee to look into the allegations of rigging and manipulation by the ruling party; and in its final report released in December concluded that the ruling party had made an attempt to influence the by-polls in this constituency.

The government openly criticised the ECP after Hafeez Sheikh, advisor to prime minister on finance at the time, lost his bid for Senate despite the fact that the government had a simple majority in the parliament. Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a televised speech, called out the electoral body for “protecting those who made money by holding the Senate elections through secret ballot” and said the ECP had failed in holding transparent and fair Senate elections alleging that it had allowed horse trading. The ECP in a strongly-worded statement reacted to the PM’s remarks. Calling the election fair, it said: “every political party and politician should have the courage to accept defeat”.

The proposed use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) also remained a major bone of contention between the government and the commission. It added to the mistrust between the government and the commission to an extent that two cabinet members – Fawad Chaudhary and Azam Swati – publicly criticised the commission over its reluctance to accept the EVM proposal. This compelled the ECP to issue a show cause notice to these ministers. The matter concluded recently after both the two ministers apologised to the commission and the apology was accepted. PM Khan too criticised the ECP and emphasised the need for electoral reforms, including the use of EVMs.

Appointment of two members of the ECP is still pending for several weeks because of a political deadlock that is affecting the ECP’s performance. Recently, a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on the matter ended without a conclusion as the government and opposition failed to reach a consensus. The parliamentary committee on ECP appointments has equal representation from the government and the opposition. Key ECP nominations can be made by a majority. Earlier, President Dr Arif Alvi had notified the two current ECP members when the government had decided to unilaterally appoint them, sidelining the Opposition leader. The selections were challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which shot them down, directing the Speaker to ensure a consensus by speaking to the two sides within a certain timeframe.

Recently, another controversy emerged after the commission rejected the nomination papers of a PTI candidate for the NA-133 by-election. Last week, the ECP also told the PM not to visit Peshawar during the local government election campaign but the PM’s office ignored the advisory.

The IHC has meanwhile asked the ECP to continue to proceed on the application seeking Senator Faisal Vawda’s disqualification, a matter the ruling party member is trying to delay. The ECP is already facing criticism for pursuing the ongoing case of PTI foreign funding. The ECP is aiming to hold a public hearing on the matter.

The author is a staff member. He can be reached at:   vaqargillani@gmail.com      He tweets @waqargillani