Law has been made for “transparent rigging”:Ch Pervaiz Elahi

Lahore: Pakistan Muslim League (PML) senior central leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Ch Parvez Elahi has said in the local bodies’ elections in Punjab the govt will commit rigging and the Election Commission will earn bad name. Law has been made for “transparent rigging”, nobody will accept elections conducted by the DCOs and Tehsildars, the Chief Election Commissioner should take notice of it, he emphasized while addressing a crowded press conference at the Muslim League House here this afternoon.

Ch Parvez Elahi said that during our tenure, heads of local bodies used to write ACRs of DCOs and DPOs but now even Tehsildars will be writing ACRs of the Chairmen and the Vice-Chairmen of the local bodies.

During our tenure local bodies were given ideal administrative and financial powers and instead of the discretion of the Chief Minister, funds of Rs. 200 billion were given through the Provincial Finance Commission comprising the local bodies’ members but they have not only deprived the local bodies of administrative and financial powers but also dumped the local bodies in the Jangla Bus, he added.

He said that the local bodies’ system enforced by the present govt in Punjab was against basic spirit and thinking of this system, local bodies were never so powerless in any era which they have made, in the departmental committees at the district level no elected local bodies’ representative is included whereas health and education sectors have been withdrawn from the local bodies.

Continuing, Ch Parvez Elahi questioned as how transparent elections are possible in the constituencies demarked by the DCOs according to the wishes of the N-League’s legislators when in the elections, these very DCOs will be the Returning Officers and their subordinates will be officiating as AROs, Presiding and Assistant Presiding Officers.

Referring to Section 24 of the new local bodies’ Act, Ch Parvez Elahi said that powers will be withdrawn on the spot from the Presiding Officer not getting votes cast according to the wishes of N-League and given to the favourite Assistant Presiding Officer (APO). He said the Chief Election Commissioner had resigned due to objections raised against general elections, now who will accept the results of the local polls conducted by Tehsildars, Patwaries and other employees of the Provincial Govt instead of the Election Commission, He asked the Chief Election Commissioner to take immediate steps for stopping this rigging for which legislation has been done to make it transparent.

PML Punjab Senior Vice-President Muhammad Basharat Raja, General Secretary Ch Zaheeruddin Khan, MPAs Sardar Waqas Hassan Moakal, Sardar Asif Nakai, PML office-bearers Nasir Mahmud Gill, Seemal Kamran, Amna Ulfat and Mian Abdul Sattar were among those also present on the occasion.