Five ECP officials held for running fake office | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Five ECP officials held for running fake office

LAHORE: The Federal Investig-ation Agency (FIA) has arrested five officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan on charges of establishing a fake commission office and preparing bogus election material to help a certain candidate win PP-160 by-polls.

The interior ministry, on a request by the ECP, tasked the FIA with investigating the fake election office in Lahore after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) alleged that the police were reluctant to take action against the officials, reportedly working at the behest of the PML-N nominee to ensure his win.

A communiqué of the FIA to the interior ministry confirmed that the fake election commission office had been unearthed but the police were reluctant to take action ignoring solid evidence available to prove the offence.

The FIA registered a case under section 420, 468, 167 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 5 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, against Muhammad Jamil, EO/ARO; Asher Roy Bhatti, draftsman; Khalid Ismail and Syed Shabbir Hussain Shah, both upper division clerks, and Imran Gill, a lower division clerk.

The report said officials had been suspended by the competent authority and necessary disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against them.

The accused were summoned and confronted with the evidence against them. On finding sufficient incriminating evidence, they were arrested in the case, the report added.

PTI: The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) says it will move courts if the Election Commission of Pakistan did not take action against alleged rigging in the PP-160 by-polls.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, PTI candidate Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar demanded that official results of the polls be withheld until the rigging issue was settled through a judicial probe as some officials of the commission were also accused of conniving with the PML-N nominee for bogus voting.

Khokhar regretted the ECP’s “inaction” as the PTI had complained in writing thrice about pre-poll rigging.

He demanded of the ECP to withhold official results until a judicial inquiry into the rigging allegations and take action against the staff held with bogus stamps and ballot papers a day before the polling. He said the party would go to the high court and the apex court in case the commission did not meet its demands.

PTI leader Mahmoodur Rashid alleged that Sattokatla SHO Qamar Abbas was posted in the constituency against election laws and the police officer helped the PML-N heavily rig the polls. He alleged that the same SHO had earlier served the PML-N in the NA-123 by-polls.
Source: Dawn
Date:6/26/2010