PTI to run own control room despite ECP’s objection

ISLAMABAD: While the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government not to operate a parallel control room for compiling the local bodies elections 2015 results, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf insists the control room will work as it was established by the party and not the government.
Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, KPK minister for higher education and information, while talking to The News, said the control room had been established by the party and this was
the party’s own system.
“The provincial government has nothing to do with the control room established for the consolidation of local bodies 2015 results. It has been established by the party. Normally, the election results come very late and in order to receive the results well in time, the party decided to set up this control room,” argued Ghani.
When asked whether the control room would still function after the notification of the ECP, the minister said the control room would work as it had nothing to do with the provincial government.
The ECP on Friday issued a notification to the provincial chief secretary and expressed serious concerns over the establishment of the control room.Inayatullah, provincial minister for local government, elections and rural development, told The News holding the local bodies elections on ‘village council’ and ‘neighborhood council’ on non-party basis was the PTI decision purely.
“The reason for holding ‘village council’ and neighborhood council elections on non-party basis is that these councils will perform the role of alternate dispute resolution. Another reason for holding the non-party elections is to give the people of villages an elected Jirga system,” commented Inayatullah.
He said the political parties cannot manage the party-based elections at the village level as awarding party tickets at village level was a tough task.A well-placed source and member of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly informed The News that all the political parties except the PTI are in favour of holding the local bodies elections on party basis and this was the reason the JUI-F and ANP had also challenged it in the Peshawar High Court. However, the Peshawar High Court dismissed the petitions filed by the two opposition parties.
The local bodies elections 2015 are being held today (Saturday), May 30, across the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in which 84,420 candidates are contesting 41,762 seats of different categories.
As per the Provincial Election Commission, 5,480 candidates are contesting for 978 district council wards while 5,907 will be contesting on 978 general seats of tehsil and town council wards respectively.
Similarly, 39,079 candidates will be trying their luck for 23,111 general seats, 7,681 candidates for 6,678 women seats, 15,700 candidates for 3,339 peasants/workers seats, 14,224 candidates for 3,339 youth seats and 349 candidates for 3,339 non-Muslim seats respectively.
The Election Commission has set up 11,211 polling stations including 3,428 for males, 3,059 for females and 4,724 combined. The provincial capital Peshawar will have 1,003 polling stations including 518 for males, 437 for females and 46 combined.