CEC Raja alleges federal govt wants to 'sabotage' Islamabad local govt polls

ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja on Thursday accused the federal government of trying to sabotage the local government elections in Islamabad, clarifying that the polls would be held as scheduled.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has scheduled the polls for Dec 20. The last LG term expired in Feb 2021, and the ECP was supposed to conduct elections within 120 days. However, the federal government and the ECP spent the last several years carrying out delimitations and announcing election schedules, only to postpone the polls later.

On Thursday, a three-member bench headed by the CEC heard the case about alleged violations of the electoral code in the NA-77 by-election.

During the hearing, Raja mentioned that the federal government has ordered that teachers would not be assigned duty in the Islamabad LG polls.

“Where will the [ECP] bring staff from?” asked Raja, who remains the CEC by virtue of the 26th Amendment, though his constitutionally mandated five-year term ended on Jan 26, 2025.

“The [ECP] issues directions to the prime minister and the government; directions do not come from them to us,” the election commissioner said.

Taking notice of the Centre’s order, he claimed: “The federal government wants to sabotage the Islamabad local government elections.

“I make it clear that local government elections will be held in Islamabad,” Raja clarified.

During the hearing, ECP Secretary Omar Hamid recalled that a candidate of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) had filed an application with the district returning officer, stating that Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Farooq Tarar had visited NA-77.

Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal said the application stated that the information minister had visited the constituency and violated the code of conduct.

“Attaullah Tarar can be sentenced to two years for violation of the code of conduct. The [ECP] should take strict action. MNAs and ministers holding office kept roaming in the constituency,” he said.

The CEC asked where the information minister was, as he had been summoned in his personal capacity.

Counsel for Tarar, Sajeel Swati, said the minister was currently on an official foreign visit, referring to him accompanying the prime minister to Turkiye.

“These are serious allegations. The Commission is held in great respect,” the counsel said.

CEC Raja remarked that the information minister only “had to do media coverage on the visit; what else was he to do”.

The CEC then addressed PML-N MPA and office-bearer Asma Naz, saying she kept roaming inside a polling station.

“Your position as MPA can go. Such tactics do not increase votes; they decrease them. You are smiling; it seems you have no remorse. A notice of contempt of the [ECP] can be issued to you,” he warned.

MPA Qudsia Batool, who had also been accused of violating the election code, said she was in her car and about to leave when the video was made.

The Gujranwala deputy commissioner appeared and said they had no information about Tarar’s visit to the constituency.

The CEC observed that the minister had come by helicopter, so a helipad must have been prepared. “How are you a DC that you do not even know that a minister is coming?”

The DC replied that the helicopter had landed in the cantonment, which was not in their jurisdiction. The CEC then said the DC did not know what his powers were in the cantonment. “Go and read the law. We have also held these offices.”

Raja said a fact-finding inquiry had been conducted on the violation of the code of conduct in the by-election, a copy of which would be given to all.

“You will all be given that order. You respond to the report; the commission will pass an appropriate order against you, DC. Action will be taken against all three, the DC, the [returning officer] and the [district monitoring officer].”

On the request of Tarar’s counsel, the CEC said, “We give you 10 days. On the next hearing, all members will appear in person.”

The hearing was then adjourned till Dec 1.

ECP issues updated list of registered parties

Meanwhile, the ECP issued an updated list of 160 political parties registered with it.

The names of the heads of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) — Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Mahmood Khan Achakzai — have been removed from the list.

In April, the ECP had given MQM-P time till Oct 15 to hold its intra-party elections as it heard a case on the matter.

A senior ECP official explained to Dawn that MQM-P had not been delisted as of yet. He said the ECP had issued a show cause notice to MQM-P over failure to hold intra-party elections, with directives to respond within 14 days.

He said a reply has been received, and if it fails to satisfy the commission, the case will be fixed for hearing and the matter will be decided accordingly.

The PkMAP chief’s name has also been removed, as the case of its intra-party elections and an amendment to its constitution remains pending before the ECP.

PTI, which lost its bat electoral symbol in January 2024 as the Supreme Court upheld the ECP’s decision in the case of its intra-party polls, also remains registered without the name of its party head.

The Pakistan Sunni Tehreek is also listed without the name of its party head.

Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, which was declared a proscribed organisation a year ago, is included among registered parties, but the name of its head has been removed.

The name of Awaam Pakistan, headed by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, which had already been delisted by the ECP, is also on the list.

The list also includes Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI), a nine-party alliance formed in 1988 and dissolved over 33 years ago.

The list also mentions some less popular political parties, including Ittehad-i-Ummat Pakistan, Jamaat-i-Suffah, Labour Qaumi Movement, Awami Democratic Party, Pakistan Qabail Movement, and Tehreek-i-Tarraqi o Kamal, without naming their party heads.