Sir: The Election Act 2017, which was recently passed by the Parliament, is akin to a surgical strike on Article 19A of the Constitution of Pakistan; which is what grants every Pakistani 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 the fundamental right to information already enshrined in Article 19A of the Constitution. As a citizen and voter of Pakistan, I appeal to his honour the Chief Justice to take suo moto notice of this development. The Parliament must amend Form-A required in Para 2 of Article 60 of the Election Act 2017 to include all declarations mentioned above. Secondly, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) must ensure that complete information relating to candidates is available on the ECP’s website at least four weeks before the election date. NAEEM SADIQ Karachi Published in Daily Times, February 28th 2018.