Arts Council elections slated for Dec 23

The election schedule for the Karachi Arts Council was announced by Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalwani at the Arts Council on Tuesday evening. According to the schedule, the elections will be held on December 23. The voters’ list will be displayed on December 8, 2018, and can be procured for Rs150.

Nominations will be received up until 5pm on December 14. Objections, if any, about the contents of the list will be received up until 6pm on the 9th and10th of December. The final list of voters will be displayed on December 11.

Nominations for the 12 governing body members, supported by the signatures of the proposer and the seconder, will be received in the office of the Chief Election Commissioner’s camp office, at the Arts Council, in the requisite office by 5pm on December 12. Copies of these will be available for Rs1,000 nomination forms for this can be obtained from the Arts Council offices by December 8 during office hours. There will be a fee of Rs1,000 for a copy, which will be non-refundable.

The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be conducted at the office of the Chief Election Commissioner at 4pm on December 14. On this occasion, the candidate himself/herself or his/her representative, with an authority letter, may be present.

Nomination papers, if need be, can be withdrawn by 5pm on December 14. The final list will be posted on the Arts Council notice board on December 15.

According to Article 1 of the agenda, there will be a general body meeting half an hour after which polling will begin and will continue for eight hours. Shalwani appointed the Deputy Commissioner South Syed Salahuddin, as the focal person. Only those voters will be eligible to vote who bring their CNICs and Arts Council membership cards along with them. Electioneering will come to an end at zero hour on December 21.

Even though it was supposed to be a press conference, a large number of non-journalists, voters and followers of the two opposing camps had barged in, and pandemonium and a deafening shouting match continued with followers of both camps hurling accusations at each other.

The bone of contention was the use of the Arts Council premises for electioneering. The chief election commissioner made it clear that no electioneering would be allowed on the Arts Council premises. One group was accusing the other of using the Arts Council offices for electioneering. Only when the chief election commissioner shouted in anger and threatened to have those causing disruptions expelled from the hall did the shouting match come to an end.