Daily Times

Sir: The Election Act 2017 passed by the Parliament is akin to a surgical strike to demolish Article 19A of the Constitution of Pakistan that grants every citizen the right of access to information in all matters of public importance. It has created a mindless and undemocratic process where voters will now be obliged to vote without knowing some of the critical credentials of the candidate they are voting for.

The Election Act 2017 ensures that the voters are kept in complete darkness about who they vote for, as the contesting candidates are not required to declare their dual nationality, the ‘Iqamas’ they possess and non-payment (if any) of utility bills or other government dues. The Election Act 2017 also does not require the candidates to declare their pending criminal cases, the profession they are engaged in, the tax they paid, the school they went to or the degrees they claim to possess.

While the world has moved on to proactive disclosures, the citizens of Pakistan have been deprived of their fundamental right to information already enshrined in Article 19A of the Constitution. As a citizen and voter of Pakistan, I appeal to your Honour to take a suo moto notice to a) Ask the Parliament to amend Form A required in Para 2 of Article 60 of the Election Act 2017 to include all declarations mentioned above and b) To ask the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure that complete information relating to candidates is available on ECP’s website at least 4 weeks before the election date.

NAEEM SADIQ

Karachi

Published in Daily Times, February 26^th 2018.