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Thursday March 28, 2024

Exposing horse-trading: ECP to seek spooks support

By Mumtaz Alvi
March 15, 2018

ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (R) Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan observed Wednesday that it was unfortunate that those who sold their votes and who bought them were both members of the assemblies.

He asserted that selling and buying of votes was a crime. The CEC made the remarks, as a five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) heard its suo motu notice of reports of horse-trading in the March 3 Senate elections.

“This is rare that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken notice of reports of horse-trading in Senate polls and initiated hearing to try to investigate the matter. It was learnt that the ECP has decided to seek assistance from FIA and other agencies on this count.

While saying that the buying and selling of votes was a crime, he said that he wanted political parties to assist the ECP in this regard.

The ECP had summoned eight parliamentarian to assist it in the case and bring along whatever evidence they could provide in this context.

During the hearing, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar were represented by their counsels respectively Shahid Gondal and Iqbal Qadri, whereas Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb also appeared in person before the ECP bench. PML-N MPA Uzma Bokhari questioned if the ECP would be able to do anything; to which, the CEC said that the ECP would definitely do whatever was possible with the help of those, who had levelled allegations.

Imran’s counsel Shahid Gondal informed the ECP that the party had formed an investigating committee to probe reports of horse-trading and would submit a report in this regard when the inquiry was complete.

Later, talking to media persons, Gondal said the party would ensure complete cooperation with the ECP in this regard.

Moreover, the MQM-P submitted a request to the ECP bench seeking an inquiry into reports of horse-trading in the Sindh Assembly.

Other party leaders also submitted similar requests and documents to the ECP. The next hearing of the case will be held on April 4.

APP adds: Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb, talking to media persons after attending the ECP hearing about horse-trading in the Senate elections, said that it was the constitutional obligation of the ECP to hold a probe into the matter.

She said that Article 218(3) of the Constitution mandated the ECP to conduct elections that were free, fair and devoid of corrupt practices and Article 220 conferred wide powers on the ECP to seek assistance from all executive authorities for discharge of its obligations, including law enforcement and intelligence agencies. She said that clause 219(5) of the Election Act also reflected similar obligations of the ECP.

Marriyum said that Senate election is an indirect election and when a political party of candidate gets votes disproportionate to its representation in the respective electorate (Provincial Assemblies etc) there is a natural inference to be drawn that members have voted against party policy due to illegal consideration, especially of such party members who have not defected from the party. This is what happened in the Senate elections, she added.

In view of the voting formula and stated party positions, the ECP must place onus on the winning candidates to establish how they won the votes of members of other parties to secure seats, the minister emphasised.

She said that the ECP should further require law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct inquiries regarding use of money/illegal consideration in the election. It had the mandate under Article 220 to do so and it must do so in discharge of its obligations under Article 218(3), she reiterated.

Marriyum said that it was the demand of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that the ECP should hold a probe into the horse-trading done during the Senate elections and those, who had pummeled the sanctity of the vote, should be duly punished.

She said when a party with 30 seats in the assembly obtained 44 votes it created doubts about the fairness of the election, as securing more votes by a candidate than the strength of the party in the legislature was clearly tantamount to horse-trading. She emphatically claimed that the PML-N had neither indulged in horse-trading nor had allowed it to happen, which was an essential ingredient of the elections. She said that reports and comments in the media also indicated horse-trading in the Senate elections and the PML-N was also of the same view and consequently adopted the stance that the ECP should take notice of it.