ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) today issued two more reports about Daska by-polls failure. The reports make more shocking revelations about mysterious disappearance of 20 presiding officers (POs) during by-election in Daska. ECP inquiry reports claim that the top officials of the police and the district administration already knew what was happening in the constituency and they allowed to let the things happen as per original planning.
According to ECP reports the district administration was in loop regarding happening of all undesired and illegal incidents with reference to the by-election and most officials acted as puppets in the hands of rigging-masters.
The fact-finding inquiry was launched after the Daska by-poll was marred by rigging, violence and disappearance of 20 presiding officers (POs). The ECP subsequently withheld the results and ordered re-election in the NA-75 constituency.
According to the report, the deputy commissioner (DC) of Sialkot had admitted that normally the sitting governments used to exert pressure in by-elections and they also approached him as well.
According to report, the disbursement of millions of rupees among the stakeholders for achieving the ulterior motives at different stages could be overlooked altogether as reflected in the statements of the AEOs/POs.
Report also stated that the presence of the Deputy commissioner Sialkot at a suspicious location was a serious question mark on his neutrality. Interestingly, DC Sialkot denied his involvement in rigging, but he could not prove his absence from the suspicious location as CDR of his mobile obtained from PTA reveals that his official mobile was used in that vicinity for hours during the night between February 19 and 20.
Meanwhile, the circumstantial evidences and statements of the AEOs/POs also indicate that the assistant commissioner Daska, who was also the assistant returning officer, was aware of rigging events which devastated the law and order situation on the poll day and he in light of that gave certain very specific directions to the AEOs/POs which being the part of record perplexed their minds and also frightened them.
Thus, the AC of Daska was harassing the AEOs/POs and convincing them to act in the manner as per his directions and put pressure on them to follow the instructions of Farkhanda Yasmeen and Hamid Raza.
ECP report said these illegal directions by the AC were not less than a criminal act on his part. Also, the district police officer (DPO) deliberately submitted the security plan to the returning officer (RO) office late to avoid objection and query about loopholes.
Furthermore, the DPO Sialkot preferred to stay at home on polling day instead of going into constituency.
Report said that the DPO, being the head of the district police, was responsible for the wrongdoings of his subordinates as he was the authority to approve each and every act pertaining to the security of the district.
Meanwhile, the district police officials were aware of the rigging developments which had to happen on the poll day and they either willfully or halfheartedly became the part and parcel in its execution. A report of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has mentioned the willful participation of district police in Daska rigging saga.
Moreover, some unauthorised police officials either from district police or Special Branch, violated the SOPs of the code of conduct and security plan by entering the premises of the polling stations, talking with the polling personnel in person or through mobile, manhandling them, carrying them in private cars to some suspicious place, keeping them at that place for hours instead of taking them straight to the RO’s office etc.
Also, the Assistant commissioner House, Daska, was also turned into a center of plenary sessions of Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, then adviser to the Punjab chief minister, where she presided over different meetings.
Being adviser to the chief minister Punjab, Firdous Ashiq Awan was not supposed to be present there, as the area fell within the territorial limits of the constituency. Meaning thereby that the AC Daska was facilitating the government to violate ECP’s code of conduct.
