While complaining non- availability of required funds and cooperation from the government functionaries, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission (EC) Thursday expressed its inability to hold local bodies’ elections on time by August this year as directed by the Supreme Court.
“We have completed the delimitation process and appeals are being heard in the court however, other stage before the conduct of elections are pretty slow due to non provision of required funds from the government and absence of legislation,” Chief Election Commissioner Justice (R)Abdul Rasheed Sulehria accompanying with two members of the commission Farhat Ali Mir and Farooq Niaz told a group of journalist here during an informal chat.
Sulehria told reporters that election commission had sought an amount of Rs 980 million, a total estimated amount for conducting local bodies’ election but so for nothing was provided to the commission.
He said an amount of Rs 40 million was provided few years back for the purpose and they had paid the revenue officer for delimitation cast.
“We have sought the required amount from the government six month earlier but nothing received so for,” he added.
Member election commission Farhat Ali Mir pointed out that the government had made the release of the amount conditional with the submission of accounts for the amount provided for holding general elections which he termed as a delaying tactics by the government functionaries. He said the commission has to make a contract with National data base and registration authority (NADRA) for up gradations of electoral lists but they were unable to immediately ink such contract due to unavailability of funds for the purpose. He said a committee headed by secretary law was constituted to draft a legislation to amend the local government Act but latter another other committee headed by chief secretary general was constituted to oversee the previous committee due to which the process was pending. “We are not sure that under which law, the elections would be conducted and how to proceed further,” He observed. He also complaint about the scarcity of supportive staff with the election commission and low privileges of members commission as compared to members of election commission of Pakistan. He said Chief election commissioner of Pakistan was taking a salary and privileges equal to a Judge of the Supreme Court and members equal to a judge of the high court while in AJK chief election commissioner was drawing equal to a Judge of the High court and members equal to a secretary to the government.
