Qadri accuses CEC of bringing terrorists to NA

By Shaukat Piracha

ISLAMABAD: Some allies of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-QA) coalition government criticised the role of the chief election commissioner (CEC) on Friday, accusing him of patronising terrorists for their electoral victory in Pakistan.

Pakistan Awami Tehrik Chairman Tahirul Qadri, and National Alliance’s Riaz Hussain Pirzada spoke out during a debate on the president’s address to parliament. Mr Qadri pointed out that such patronage to the terrorists was against the commitments of President General Musharraf to eliminate terrorists from Pakistan and ensure transparent elections.

Referring to a vacant seat on NA-89 (Jhang) after the murder of Maulana Azam Tariq, Dr Qadri said he had identified 40,000 fake registered voters in the constituency using computer software.

He said if the facts and figures were proved wrong, he would resign from the National Assembly.

He said the Jhang revising authority judge sent letters to all fake voters’ addresses for rectification, but only 603 of 40,000 people appeared before the authority asking for the vote regularisation.

Mr Qadri said when he told the CEC and regional election commissioner of the anomalies, a notification for deletion of around 29,000 fake voters was issued on March 7. “However, another notification from the CEC was sent to the Jhang revising authority which said that only those votes should be deleted from the fake voter’s list on which 603 people have appeared,” Mr Qadri waved the notification in the House amidst huge applause and desk thumping from the opposition.

He asked the government to form a special committee including treasury and opposition members to investigate the matter and the by-election should be stopped till then. The acting speaker asked Mr Qadri to submit his complaint to the speaker. Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians’ Ramesh Lal said that the Hindus’ rights were not being protected properly.

Responding to a call-attention-notice, Religious Affairs Minister Ejazul Haq said that complaints about Haj arrangements for 2004 were fewer than the previous years.

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