ECP rejects ‘job for vote’ policy

In order to stop the government from ‘engineering’ the forthcoming elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday imposed a ban on all types of recruitments in government sector with immediate effect. ECP also put a bar on the diversion of funds already allocated to various development projects. However, Federal Public Service Commission and Provincial Public Service Commission are exempted from the ECP ban of recruitments. The government was about to recruit thousands of people to lure their votes and support in the next general elections, however, the ECP decision shattered the dreams of ministers, who were all set to induct thousands of people in government departments. The process of new appointments was underway in almost all government departments. Interior Minister Rehman Malik in particular, was very keen to make thousands of recruitments in Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Islamabad Police. FIA and Islamabad Police had on Monday completed their process of receiving applications from candidates. The ECP decision however, sprung into action and put a bar on these recruitments. “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. The 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,” said a statement issued by the ECP on Monday. It said the ECP took this action after witnessing grave concerns of people from different segments of society, who said some government departments are in the process of inducting thousands of people on various positions which amounts to pre-poll rigging. “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,” the statement added. It further said 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 for its utilisation in the development of his constituency, which 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 send 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.