ECP to post candidates’ papers, affidavits on website

ISLAMABAD: In a positive development towards transparency and accountability, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finally decided to upload on its official website details of nomination papers and affidavits of all aspirants for the 2018 elections. So far, the ECP has been reluctant to do so but now it has decided to place the details of election candidates on its website for online access to any user of internet.

The News has highlighted only recently that despite being far more powerful and independent than before, the ECP in 2018 was shying away from the 2013 election practice of placing on website details of nominations papers of all candidates as well as concerned government departments’ scrutiny response.

Neither previously nor after the enactment of Elections Act 2017, there was no legal bar on the ECP stopping it from using internet facility for greater response from the public and media over the declarations of the election candidates. However, still the ECP this time initially avoided doing what it did in 2013.

After The News focused on the issue, the ECP decided to reconsider the issue and finally decided to upload the nomination papers as well as affidavits of each and every aspirant of the 2018 election.

Previously, the ECP did not want to upset the political parties which, during the recent years, have been strongly expressing their reservations about placing the details of their assets, nomination papers, etc, on website.

All political parties having representation in the last parliament, including PML-N, PPP and PTI during their deliberations on electoral reform package, had strongly protested against this ECP policy.

The last parliament had even sought from the ECP to avoid placing on its official website the assets and wealth declaration of MPs. The present ECP initially resisted but later succumbed to the political parties’ pressure and even removed from its website the 2013 election data relating to candidates.

The Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms had asked the ECP that the details of their assets, etc, should be removed from commission’s website for security reasons and to protect the privacy of the members of parliament.

The MPs were of the view that making their asset declaration (as reflected in their 2013 nomination papers) public was not only tantamount to breach of their privacy but it might also encourage criminals to rob them through kidnapping and other unlawful acts.

The ECP, which had then discussed the matter, was initially not convinced of the parliamentarians’ argument. Theccommission at that time was of the view that the information about the wealth and assets declaration of the MPs should be available to all and sundry so that people could raise question about the parliamentarians’ financial matters for scrutiny purposes.

Later, the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms furthered its pressure on the ECP following which the commission has removed from its website all details of MPs assets, etc, besides removing details of nomination papers of all candidates of 2013 election. Following the unearthing of Panama scandal the ECP has removed from its website the huge data of nomination papersand annexures of thousands of politicians who had contested the 2013 general elections containing details of their ‘declared’ local and foreign properties and accounts, etc.

The presence of nomination papers of all contestants of the 2013 general elections including the returned candidates of the National Assembly as well as provincial assemblies on the ECP website, was considered a great source of information for the voters, citizens as well as the media.

In addition to details of declared local and foreign assets, properties, bank accounts, vehicles etc, the nominations papers also contain information like CNIC and NTN numbers of politicians using which any voter or citizen can check the taxes paid by leaders during any financial year and other details of their investment locally or abroad. Details given in the nomination papers help voters to hold their leader accountable.

In relation to the 2013 elections, the ECP had shared details of the nomination papers of more than 15,000 politicians, who had contested elections from 849 national and provincial constituencies and on 221 reserved seats.

In case of 1,070 legislators of last parliament including the-then 342 MNA, 65 MPAs from Balochistan Assembly, 124 MPAs from KP Assembly, 371 MPAs from Punjab Assembly and 168 MPAs from Sindh Assembly, their nomination papers also contained complete annexures having more details of companies owned by the individuals, complete details of shares, properties, bank accounts, vehicles, ornaments etc. But the present ECP had removed all the data from its website.