The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday decided to take action against those who were involved in the Daska by-election fiasco.
The ECP held responsible both the district returning officer (DRO) and returning officer (RO) while saying that action would be taken against them.
“Both the DRO and RO have been made officer on special duty (OSD) so that action could be taken against them in light of the inquiry report,” said the ECP on Monday.
The decision was made after a meeting was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on Monday. The members of ECP, including Nisar Durani and Shah Mehmood Jatoi, also attended the meeting while ECP secretary was also present on the occasion.
According to the ECP, two inquiry committees were constituted earlier to probe irregularities in the Daska by-polls. The first committee was constituted to probe the negligence of administrative officers while the second was supposed to probe why the presiding officers disappeared on the evening of the elections. Forensic experts were also involved in the investigation to ascertain the disappearance of the presiding officers.
The inquiry conducted by the ECP unveiled some startling revelations that the entire episode of missing presiding officers and rigging in NA-75, Daska, was pre-planned. The police officers, officials of local administration and some members of the ECP were involved in the saga, the report said. The inquiry also held Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, the then Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab, responsible for preplanned rigging. According to the inquiry report issued by the ECP, the state machinery was involved in sabotaging the whole election process on the Election Day.
The inquiry report established that the officers were first taken to Pasrur and then Sialkot. It maintained that a meeting was organized at the house of Daska’s assistant commissioner to chalk out the plan and Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Deputy Education Director Muhammad Iqbal and political workers were present there. The report further revealed that the presiding officers were asked to let people use fake ID cards at the polling booths for votes.
The ECP found its officers, the DRO and returning officer, guilty in the whole episode. The report recommended that the officers involved in pre-planned rigging should be suspended from their duties. The by-polls for NA-75, Daska, were held earlier this year in February.
“The ECP will initiate departmental proceeding or criminal proceedings or both against the responsible officers,” said the commission after Monday’s meeting chaired by the CEC.
A committee has been constituted under ECP secretary that also includes special secretary, DG Law, director HR and deputy director Law. The next meeting of the committee will be held after seven days.
