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Tuesday March 19, 2024

ECP moves SC for postponing LB polls in Punjab, Sindh

Defers issuance of elections schedule; to undergo administrative reshuffle after inquiry commission report

By our correspondents
July 29, 2015
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has approached the Supreme Court for postponing the local bodies polls in the Punjab and Sindh.The electoral body has also decided not to issue a schedule for the local bodies elections in the two provinces till the completion of related activities.
The Election Commission was expected to issue the schedule in a day or two, but afterwards it was decided to delay the schedule in view of certain incomplete acts. These activities include publication of final delimitation of constituencies, updating of electoral rolls on the basis of claims and objections and completion of legal formalities.
Meanwhile, after the issuance of a detailed set of shortcomings of the ECP by the inquiry commission in its report on the 2013 polls, the Election Commission has begun taking actions accordingly.
A general outline of the administrative response was presented before the Election Commission in a discussion on Monday. The Election Commission feels that basically four areas — planning, training, coordination and monitoring — need special attention to avoid recurrence of such deficiencies in future.
In this context, the Election Commission will undergo an administrative reshuffle in which every officer will do a specific job rather than every officer performing every job.
There is a need of specialisation in the organisation. A separate tier of training headed by an additional secretary has been established, which will also head the IT, legal and electoral rolls subjects.Another additional secretary will look after the budget and administration. The proposed organogram will be:
a) Sher Afgan (DG-Election) will work as Additional Secretary (Training), who will prepare a foolproof training programme for the 2018 General Elections. He will be assisted by DG (IT), Director (MIS), ADG (Legal), ADG (PR), Director Political Finance, ADG (Gender Affairs) and the Training Wing.
b) Fida Muhammad will work as Additional Secretary (Administration). He will look after budget, administration and elections wings.
A planning committee, headed by the secretary Election Commission, has been constituted which will:
a) Prepare a work plan for the next general elections in terms of human and financial resource.
b) Work out timelines for every activity necessary for holding the general elections.
c) Work out implementation strategy for electoral reforms which is already in process in parliament.
d) Work out a logistic plan including the requirement of printing presses, storage spaces, transport, etc.
e) Regularly review the training plan for the polling staff.
f) Keep all other factors in view with reference to the General Election Inquiry Commission Report-2015 as far as planning is concerned.
A national coordination committee has also been constituted which will be headed by each member by rotation. The committee shall include the secretary and the four provincial election commissioners.
The committee shall meet every month inIslamabad and the four provincial headquarters alternately.
TORs of the committee include:
a) Removal of ambiguities in policies.
b) Keep the commission informed as to ground realities and requirements in respect of electoral matters.
Another mechanism will be a monitoring wing established in the administration side. Similar wings will be established in the four provincial election commissions.
The TORs for the said monitoring wing have been indicated in the general elections inquiry commission report. Existing staff of the PEC along with support from civil society will be required, which will be worked out in due course.