Engineer Najeeb questions transparency of PEC elections process

Engineer Muhammad Najeeb Haroon has raised doubts over the transparency of the process of the scheduled elections of Pakistan Engineering Council's Governing Body. According to a press release, addressing a press conference he said the elections of PEC's Governing Body (2012-14) have entered its final stage. Physical balloting will be held on December 18 at designated polling stations in major districts of Pakistan.
The final list of the candidates has been released through PEC website. It is disappointing to find the names of some of the eligible and bona fide PEC members missing from the list. The case of Engineer Abdul Hadi can be cited as an example. His nomination papers for Vice-Chairman KPK province have been rejected, despite the fact that his name was borne in PEC register on June 30 as life member and he fulfilled all the prescribed requirements for his nomination as Vice-Chairman. Whereas, his competitor's candidature was objected due to his involvement in a corruption case that was released by NAB under plea bargain, even then his papers have been accepted as a candidate for the post of Vice-Chairman PEC Governing Body.
There are the definite criteria for the posts of Chairman, Senior Vice-Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of PEC which is laid down in the PEC Act and Election Bye-Laws as following: "Who shall be an eminent professional engineer of known integrity, competence, standing and stature with a minimum of twenty-five years of standing." This clause has been totally ignored by the election committee throughout the scrutiny proceedings. This important clause has not been even mentioned in the instructions to the candidates for filling nomination papers.
It is astonishing to note that the Election Committee has accepted the nomination papers of some of the known corrupt and non-practising engineers having no professional standing/stature, which is a great disgrace and wrong approach to this apex body of engineers in Pakistan. The whole proceedings of scrutiny of nomination papers has been bulldozed and done in a dubious and non- transparent manner without providing reasonable opportunity to the candidates, regarding the persons who proposed and seconded, for examining all the nomination papers which is duly provided in the election Bye-Laws as following:
Clause 27 (1): The candidates, the persons who proposed and seconded may attend the scrutiny of the nomination papers, and the Election Committee shall give them reasonable opportunity for examining all the nomination papers delivered or sent to the Registrar under Clause (4) of Bye-Law 26.
Clause 27 (2): The Election Committee shall, in the presence of the persons attending the scrutiny under clause (1), examine the nomination papers and decide any objection raised by any such person to any nomination. The decisions on the objections raised on the nomination papers have so far not been made public, which has made the whole scrutiny proceedings non-transparent.
You will be aware about the background of Abdul Qadir Shah's appointment as officiating chairman through a single sentence in the office order of the Prime Minster. A Federal Minister's brother was his only qualification to head the apex body of the most learned community of engineers, whose function is to regulate the engineering education and profession in accordance with international standards. The Federal Minster in connivance with a small group of bureaucrats is using all the political and administrative influence under his control and exerting official pressure to get the brother elected in violation of election Bye-Laws. We request the in charge Federal Minister Science & Technology and the Chairman standing committee on Science and Technology (National Assembly) to intervene and remove the officiating chairman PEC who is also candidate for the chairmanship. So that the elections are seen being held free and fair.-PR