AJK Election Campaign:

Chief Election Commissioner AJK should take notice of Pakistan’s public office holders’ participation: PILDAT

PILDAT has demanded that the AJK Chief Election Commissioner should take notice of Pakistan’s public office holders’ participation in AJK election campaign at the state expense, latest of which has been Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister of Pakistan, who addressed an election rally in Bagh, AJK on Wednesday for the support of the PPP candidate.

PILDAT said it was regrettable that despite a clear order by the AJK Chief Election Commissioner on May 16 that no participation of any Pakistani leaders holding public office should take place in AJK election campaign, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and by other federal and state ministers earlier, addressed election rallies on state expense using the full state-funded protocol.

PILDAT also regretted the AJK Chief Election Commissioner’s quoted statement in newspapers today in which he expressed helplessness and regret in stopping the AJK Prime Minister for violating the AJK Election Code of Conduct by using state resources in election campaign.

PILDAT quoted that the AJK Chief Election Commissioner should learn from the Pakistan Election Commission which had issued a directive against public office holders participating in election campaigns at state expenses. The Prime Minister of Pakistan had participated in bye-election campaigns in August 2010 and visited several constituencies of Punjab in support of PPPP candidate and announced development projects.

PILDAT said that this violation, if goes unnoticed, may guide the future General Election in Pakistan and therefore it is necessary that in Pakistan, the Election Commission moves to convert a comprehensive code of conduct into a law for its ensured applicability on all.