ECP asked to release ballot papers data printed for NA, PAs

ISLAMABAD: In a move coinciding with the audit of 2013 general elections by the judicial commission, the federal ombudsman has directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to release the complete data of all ballot papers printed for national and provincial assembly constituencies for last polls.
The provision of certified information about the exact number of ballot paper printed for the 2013 elections may prove vital for the rigging probe as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan had alleged that 5.5 million additional ballot papers had been printed during 2013 elections to benefit the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Hearing a complaint, filed by a representative of Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) the federal ombudsman directed the ECP to furnish the details under the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 within 15 days. Fafen had complained before the ombudsman that the ECP had failed to provide the data of ballot papers and date of receipt of these ballot papers by the respective returning officers.
In response to the complaint, the Ombudsman Secretariat sought ECP’s comment and the case was fixed for hearing, but the commission neither furnished its comment by the due date nor anybody appeared on its behalf on the date of hearing.
“It has been found that the information sought by the complainant is of a general nature and does not relate to the working of the chief election commissioner or a member of the commission. The refusal to provide information of a general nature to the complainant is not justified and is in violation of the letter and spirit of the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002,” says the decision of the ombudsman.
“The Agency (ECP) did not even respond to the reference sent by this Secretariat which invokes Section 9(3) of the Federal Ombudsman Institutional Reforms Act 2013 read with Article 14(6) of the President’s Order No1/ 1983,” says the order.
The commission has also been directed to take disciplinary action against the officer responsible for ignoring the reference sent by the federal ombudsman.
While contacted, Fafen Executive Director, Mudassir Rizvi, said the information request was filed in November 2014 when the controversy about printing of extra ballot papers was at its peak.
“The purpose of seeking data of ballot papers and date of their receipt by returning officers is to match them with the information provided by the Printing Corporation of Pakistan (PCP) so that the debate about the alleged printing of extra ballot papers by private firms could be settled,” he said.
Rizvi said the ECP had previously given three different figures on ballot papers which created confusion about the issue. He said if the number of ballot papers printed by PCP does not match with those provided by ECP, it would lend credence to the reports on printing of extra ballot papers by private firms.
He said Fafen has also sought other election related documents from the ECP, including forms 14, 15 and 16 but so far the commission has failed to provide the same. He said the data obtained by Fafen could be useful for the three-member judicial commission in its rigging probe.
Fafen has also separately approached the judicial commission in connection with the incidents of rigging in general elections.
“We want to assist the judicial commission on its TORs so that the commission could examine the 2013 elections in the light of relevant laws to ascertain whether the legally sanctioned process was followed by ECP during the course of elections,” he said.