Muhammad Pervaiz Malik, PML-N Central Secretary Finance, has demanded constitution of a new independent Election Commission for holding fair and free local government polls. While talking to newsmen on ARD's proposed APC here on Monday, Malik said that no election without a sovereign and powerful election commission was possible particularly in the dictatorial rule.
"The election commission was a mere government organisation to make necessary arrangements for the polls instead of working as a watchdog to ensure transparent electoral activity, which was essence of a democracy," he added.
According to him, the experiences so far showed that the election commission failed in taking cognisance of pre-poll rigging at the highest level, the misuse of funds and government machinery into electoral activity and the violation of rules and ethics. All this was happening unabated.
To a question, he said that the ARD's and MMA's APC's were being organised to put moral and ethical pressure on the government to hold fair and free polls. He said that the APC would expose the government pre-poll rigging plans.
"However, the ARD and its allied parties would not leave the field open. They would rather contest the elections with more vigour. The seat-to-seat adjustment with each other parties would leave positive effects in favour of opposition parties candidates and hardships to the government backed candidates. The rigging could be countered with more popular support to the opposition," he said adding the APC would evolve joint strategy to counter rigging in the LB polls.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2005

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