Government is talking to army for election duty: Najam Sethi

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Najam Sethi has said that Punjab is the first province to have devised a most modern election monitoring system for the forthcoming general elections.

He said that Punjab Election Monitoring Centre has been set up at Civil Secretariat which will become fully functional from May 1st for ensuring free, fair and peaceful conduct of elections. He said that any citizen will be able to lodge his complaint regarding violation of the code of conduct with the election monitoring centre and an effective mechanism has also been devised for addressing such complaints.

He said that establishment of Punjab Election Monitoring Centre will not only help in curbing violation of the code of conduct but also ensure impartial and transparent conduct of elections. He said that smart phones have been provided to the concerned staff for monitoring of elections and checking violation of the code of conduct while hotline 8070 has been set up at which citizens will be able to register their complaints regarding any irregularity in the election process.

He was talking to media-men during a briefing at Civil Secretariat here today regarding the most modern election monitoring system devised for the forthcoming general elections. Provincial Home Minister Tariq Pervaiz, Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Secretary Home, Secretary Health, Secretary Information, Inspector General Police Punjab, Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board as well as concerned officials were present on the occasion.

The Chief Minister Najam Sethi said that Punjab government is taking all possible steps for the conduct of elections in a transparent and peaceful manner and the modern election monitoring system will play an important role in this regard. He said in addition to Election Commission and monitoring officers of Punjab government, 50 thousand members of NGO FAFEN are also monitoring the election process. He said that these persons will have smart phones to be provided by their organization. He said that besides government departments, general public is also being included in the monitoring process and for this purpose a hotline has been set up so that citizens could bring their complaints to the notice of the election monitoring center. He said that as soon as any complaint of irregularity or violation of the code of conduct will be received at the monitoring center, instructions will be issued to the concerned authorities for dealing with the matter and the entire process from registration of the complaint to the action taken on it will be supervised.

He said that Punjab government has evolved the modern election monitoring system in a transparent manner and separate desks for the nine divisions have been established at the monitoring center. He said that any citizen through hotline or a smart phone would be able to download the application and register his complaint along with providing his photographs, date and time. He said that common citizens have been given access to this modern system. Moreover, he said, the facility of video conference has been provided at the office of the Chief Secretary at the Civil Secretariat from where he will remain in constant contact with all officers and would be able to issue necessary instructions.

He said that in case no immediate action is taken on any complaint, proceedings will be initiated against the persons responsible. He said that media has also been given access to election monitoring center and DGPR will facilitate media-men if anyone wants to review the monitoring system. He said that it is the responsibility of media to highlight any irregularity regarding elections or violation of the code of conduct of Election Commission and the government will deal with the matter.

Replying to a question about the cost of the newly-devised monitoring system, the Chief Minister said that smart phones were acquired for some other project, but will now be used for monitoring of the elections. He said that not a single penny has been spent on the purchase of the phones and the concerned institutions which will use the phones will pay their rent.

Replying to another question, the Chief Minister said that two lakh police officers and jawans have been deputed for ensuring the conduct of elections in a peaceful manner while one lakh more officials will perform temporary duty on the polling day. Moreover, he said, negotiations are being held for acquiring the help of army for this purpose. He said that in order to maintain law and order at the polling stations, services of Rangers are also being obtained. He said that the modern monitoring system has a number of benefits and time will come when the performance of all institutions will improve with the help of this system.

He said that this revolutionary system will also help in accountability of officers. He said that measles, dengue and other viral diseases are also being monitored through this system. Replying to a query about elections, the Chief Minister ruled out any possibility of their postponement and asserted that elections will be held on time come what may. He said that no one can hamper electoral process. Answering another question, the Chief Minister said that he is in contact with the leaders of all political parties and it is a matter of satisfaction that no party has asked him to appoint any officer of its choice. He said that he will come up to the expectations regarding the holding of transparent elections and fulfill his national responsibility in this regard.

Replying to another question, Najam Sethi said that there are apprehensions about law and order but the government is prepared to deal with any situation. He said that speculations about postponement of elections are baseless and there should not be any misunderstanding in this regard. He said that general elections will be held in a fair, free and transparent manner. He said that a separate plan has been evolved for the implementation of the code of conduct on the elections day.

Earlier, Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board Dr. Umar Saif gave a detailed briefing regarding the modern election monitoring system. He also informed about the monitoring of viral diseases and replied to the questions of media.