Karachi strong room breach: ECP suspends its Sindh commissioner, two others

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has suspended its provincial election commissioner (PEC) following the intrusion into its strong room in Karachi and the alleged destruction of election records.

The incident occurred on the night of September 17, coinciding with the mysterious withdrawal of a police team that had been deployed to safeguard sensitive election records stored in a strong room at the TCP Pipri, Karachi.

According to the election commission, the locks on the gates were not forcibly broken but replaced with new ones by the intruders.

They managed to damage gunny bags containing election materials from several polling stations before leaving the scene without resistance.

The election commission was informed that the SHO concerned claimed he had withdrawn the police team for half an hour to oversee Eid Milad ritual activities. However, he refused to provide a written statement.

A notification issued by the ECP states that Sindh Election Commissioner Sharifullah and Director Admin of the Sindh Election Commission Sindh Azhar Hussain have been suspended for 120 days for incompetence and misconduct.

The notification also mentioned the suspension of Khuda Bakhsh, the election officer in Karachi. The three suspended officers have been directed to remain in Karachi until the completion of the inquiry and further orders.

Joint Provincial Election Commissioner Ali Asghar Sial has been appointed as the Acting Election Commissioner of Sindh.

In response to the incident, a fact-finding inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the matter.

Joint Provincial Election Commissioner of Sindh Nazar Abbas, Director Waseem Ahmed, and Larkana REC Abdul Waheed have been included in the committee.

The committee has been given three days to complete its investigation and submit a report with specific recommendations. The vulnerability of the election records came to light just days after the election Commission had constituted 38 staff members to verify key forms from the February 8 general elections and compile details of missing or unreadable forms.

Despite an office order issued on September 4, which allotted seven days for the teams to complete their tasks, the election commission has yet to release a statement or share the details with the media, even after the passage of two weeks.