Votes can’t be transferred without voters’ consent: CJ

 
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has observed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) cannot transfer votes of people to any other place without their consent
The Supreme Court on Thursday accepted a request of the counsel for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for sorting out an amicable solution, in accordance with relevant laws, to the issue of alleged transfer of votes from Karachi, the country’s port city.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, also accepted a request of Dr Faroogh Naseem, Senator from the MQM, to implead his party as intervener in the pending pleas moved by the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and Jamaat-e-Islami.

The bench also directed theElection Commission of Pakistan to provide all relevant information to the parties about the electoral lists of Karachi prior to its revision.

During the course of proceedings, the counsel for the MQM disputed the claims made about the transfer of three million voters from Karachi to their native places. He said that the MQM would not support any unconstitutional step and lend strong support to strengthening of the democratic system in the country.

Director General Elections Dr Sher Afgan, to a bench’s question, said that the figure of about four million voters belonged to those people who were not touched by the survey teams. He said under a policy decision of the ECP, their names were shifted to electoral lists of their permanent addresses.

Moreover, there were a large number of voters who had shown their preferences by submitting the relevant documents and in such cases what could they do.

The CJ said that the ECP could not take such a decision under the laws which provided that it had to contact the voters at their given addresses and seek their options.

The DG also stated that during 2007, there were 6.6 million voters in Karachi, which swelled to 6.8 million in 2012 and also submitted documents drawing a parallel among the past figures with those of current revised electoral lists.The bench put off the hearing till November 28.

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