EC be made independent, autonomous: JI

F.P. Report

LAHORE: The central Shoora of the Jamaat e Islami has demanded that the Election Commission be made an independent and autonomous institution in administrative as well as financial matters like the Supreme Court to ensure fair, free and impartial elections.

A resolution adopted by the JI central body presided over by the JI Ameer, Senator Sirajul Haq, also stressed that the nominations of the candidates for the assemblies should be adjudged on the basis of the articles 62 and 63 of the constitution.

The Shoora also called for switching over to the proportionate representation system in order to wipe out the hold of a few individuals and families in national politics. It suggested hat in the beginning, election to fifty per cent of the seats should be held under proportionate representations system.

The JI Central body demanded that the election staff must be permanent and the Election Commission should have the full authority of postings, transfer s and taking disciplinary action against them. In case of complaints, the Returning Officers and the Presiding Officers should be held responsible and if the charges against them were proved, the responsible officer should be punished with fine, imprisonment and even dismissal from service.

It demanded that the candidates spending beyond the prescribed limit must be disqualified and also awarded five year jail term. Likewise, it said, a limit of election expenditure should also be laid down for the political parties.

It demanded that the elections of all political parties should be held under the supervision of the Election Commission. It suggested that the Election Commission should provide transport to the voters and facilities should be provided to female voters to ensure their maximum participation.

The Shoora also called for adopting a mechanism for the voting of the overseas Pakistanis.

Through another resolution, the JI central body expressed the hope that the process of accountability beginning with the ouster of Nawaz Sharif would continue until all the corrupt elements including the ruling elite, members of the armed forces, the judiciary, bureaucrats and businessmen, etc, were brought to book.

It said that the evil of corruption was the violation of the Shariah on one hand and the root cause of economic crisis and social decay. It had also lowered the image of the democratic institutions in the country.

It said that elections were nearing and it was imperative that moral, financial and ideological corruption was controlled so that honest people could win the elections.