Pakistan: Deteriorating security may compromise fair polls

The Frontier Post

Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim on Thursday admitted that in case the law and order situation does not improve, it would become difficult to administer a free and fair election. He said in the wake of the worsening law and order situation, holding of free and fair elections was not possible, adding that it was the responsibility of the federal and provincial governments and law enforcement agencies to improve the country’s security situation. Addressing a meeting at the Election Commission in Islamabad, the chief election commissioner said all arrangements had been finalised for the holding of elections in the country. However, he said the Supreme Court had also asked the governments at the centre and the provinces to address the law and order situation, otherwise transparent elections would not be possible. In response to various statements emanating from several quarters regarding the ECP’s responsibility to maintain law and order during the May 11 general elections, the CEC pointed out that under the Constitution, ECP had the mandate of holding the elections and that all executive authorities were bound to assist the commission to fulfill its constitutional duty. Earlier on April 25, the ECP had convened a meeting of all four provincial governments and the federal government to review security for elections in which they shared their detailed security plans and assured that all possible measures would be adopted to provide protection to candidates, political leaders and in all matters allied to the election activities. CEC noted that tragic events were taking place on a daily basis and, therefore, all security and law enforcement agencies need to sit together, identify the root causes, propose action plans and then implement them in a well-coordinated manner within given timelines. He also called upon political parties to help the ECP in holding free and fair elections.