ISLAMABAD: Political parties of the country have demand making the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) a completely independent entity for holding the forthcoming elections in the country in a transparent and impartial manner.
A consultative meeting was held to frame the code of conduct for the ECP on Wednesday, under the chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan.
All four members of the ECP and representatives of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Awami Muslim League (AML), Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) and other political parties participated the meeting. The political leaders also called for complete financial liberty to the ECP by allocating one percent of the national budget to it. They suggested that either the ECP should launch its own TV channel six months before the general election, or the control of the PTV be give to the ECP in the election days so that each and every political party may get an opportunity to explain its viewpoint in front of the nation.
After the meeting, PPP leader Sardar Latif Khosa told the media that his party had given a suggestion to the ECP that only making the code of conduct would not resolve the issues unless the same was tightly implemented. He said that the election expenditure should be checked, and if any political party floats advertisement in the media, the ECP should take immediate notice on it. However, he said that limiting the number of processions would not be the right thing to do.
JI’s Sahabzada Yaqoob Khan and Aisha Syed also said that the code of conduct for candidates and control on limits of expenditure in elections should be followed strictly. They said that only those candidates should be allowed to contest elections who fulfilled articles 62 and 63 of the constitution.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha of the PML-Q said that the ECP should be free to work according to its own will and each party might be allowed to hold only one big show of power in each city. He said that the interim government should not interfere in the matters of the ECP.
PMAP leader Senator Usman Kakar said that land reforms should be carried out to make the electoral system strong so that only feudal lords did not come into power. He said that a clear census was necessary for transparent elections, and all the delimitation of constituencies should be completed under the supervision of the ECP.
He said that before holding the general election, all Pakistani citizens – who have come of age – should be provided with Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs). He said that it was need of the hour that the ECP took stern action against violation of the code of conduct, and added that no candidate had ever been punished for breaching the laws during elections.
On the occasion, ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Malik said that talks were held with the political parties on the code of conduct. He said that although the political parties gave their suggestions, they had been asked to submit their proposals in black and white. He said that the ECP would also consult the media to form the code of conduct for the candidates.