ELECTION COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN
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PRESS RELEASE
No.F.8(1)/2011-Cord.- WHEREAS, the Election Commission of Pakistan is charged with the constitutional duty to organize and conduct elections in terms of Article 218 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with the law and that corrupt practices are guarded against;
AND WHEREAS, it is grave concern of all people in different segments of society that some government departments are in the process of inducting thousands of people on various positions which amounts to pre-poll rigging as political bribe.
AND WHEREAS, for tangible reasons, the Election Commission is of the considered view that such mass recruitments at this point of time when the general elections of the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies are going to take place shortly, will substantially influence the results of elections, therefore, it is imperative on all standards of legal, moral and democratic ethics that all kinds of recruitments except the recruitments which are made by the Federal and Provincial Public Service Commission be banned forthwith.
AND WHEREAS, the Commission has considered the repeated concern of the people as expressed and voiced in the national press that money allocated to various important development projects in the country is being diverted to the discretionary fund of the Prime Minister of Pakistan for its utilization in the development of his constituency, is nothing short of yet another facet of pre-poll-rigging which if not checked and brought to an immediate end is likely to influence the electoral process adversely and thus sending an extremely wrong message to the public at large, making the election tainted and falling short of the constitutional provisions contained in Article 218 (3) of the Constitution.
AND WHEREAS, it has become imperative that the Commission takes all necessary steps under the law to prevent any action on the part of the federal, provincial and local governments that amounts to influencing the results of upcoming general elections by depriving candidates from having a level playing field.
NOW THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred upon it under Articles 218(3) and 220 of the Constitution, Article 6 of the Election Commission Order 2002, section 103 (c) and 104 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 and all other powers enabling it in that behalf, the Election Commission of Pakistan is pleased to direct as under:
a. That all kinds of recruitments in any Ministry, Division, Department or Institution of the Federal Government or any Department or Institution of any Provincial and Local governments is banned forthwith except recruitments by the Federal or a Provincial Public Service Commission.
b. That diversion of funds already allocated to various development projects in the country is banned forthwith and the spending of funds so diverted shall stand frozen forthwith.
(Justice (R) Fakkhruddin G.Ebrahim)
Chairman
(Justice (R) Muhammad Roshan Essani)
Member
(Justice (R) Riaz Kayani)
Member
(Justice (R) Shahzad Akbar Khan)
Member
Justice (R) Fazal-ur-Rehman)
Member