Election Commission urges officer transfers in Sindh

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has written a letter to the caretaker Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Justice (R) Maqbool Baqir.

According to sources, the CEC said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had instructed provincial administrations to reassign senior administrative officials. The directive included the transfer of Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, and Additional Commissioners within the province.

The sources indicated that the ECP additionally sought the relocation of police officers, including Regional Police Officers (RPO) and District Police Officers (DPO) while emphasising the appointment of neutral officers for election oversight.

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Meanwhile, the CEC further said that no proposals from the caretaker government of Sindh have been received. He lamented the lack of visible preparations by the Sindh caretaker government.

“The proposals concerning officer transfers should be submitted for approval within a week,” the CEC said.

ECP considering early election schedule announcement

The ECP was anticipated to unveil a schedule for the upcoming general elections well ahead of the finalisation of delimitation of constituencies for the national and provincial assemblies.

The reports said that the subject came up in a discussion between the commission and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), as they deliberated the roadmap for the general elections.

The meeting chaired by CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja included the commission’s secretary, members, and senior officers. Whereas, the PPP delegation was represented by Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Sherry Rehman, Taj Haider, Syed Naveed Qamar, Murad Ali Shah, and Faisal Karim Kundi.

Meanwhile, a participant at the meeting conveyed that the CEC also addressed the pressure exerted by other political parties to initiate the delimitation of constituencies prior to the elections.
However, while implying a potential acceleration of the boundary adjustment process, the CEC assured the PPP that it would be concluded promptly, to be closely followed by the expeditious conduct of elections.