With thousands of nomination forms left, scrutiny has become a bit of a national joke
Returning officers (ROs) have become the unnecessary centre of attention as we enter the last day of scrutiny. With media reports suggesting thousands of nomination papers are yet to be scrutinized, the actual process of politicians appearing before an RO has turned into a bit of a national joke. ROs have been reported to be asking personal questions and even doling out advise on family matters, neither of which is amongst the tasks delegated to them. With their mandated task being to verify the financial and moral credibility of candidates, even though some consider the second an impossible and irrelevant task, ROs have become the new tormentors of many a dedicated politician.
With this being the last day for scrutiny, ROs have dug a pit for the election process which is unlikely to have any personal ramifications for them. Observors fear that many forms might be cleared in haste without examining questions of tax evasion, loan default, clearing of utility bills and other government dues. Media has already revealed that fake degree holder Muhammad Ajmal was cleared by an RO in Faisalabad PP-63 (Faisalabad). The ECP has come out and called it, “a problem created by the returning officers for themselves.” Whatever that means, it is a confirmation that ROs have wasted a lot of time in frivolous matters, perhaps each wanting their own moment in the limelight, while the serious task of confirming who all shall contest the polls from a particular constituency has yet to be decided.
The fact that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) himself chose to address ROs in Hyderabad has come up for criticism from with the lawyers community. Asma Jehangir has said the judiciary had no power to intervene in the affairs of ECP. She has also accused the CJP for “trying to influence the election process” by addressing ROs. Whether that may be the case or not, the CJ does not appear to have made a prudent choice. On the other hand, LHCBA president Abid Saqi has said judicial officers should have been properly trained before their appointment as ROs. And it increasingly appears as if the criticism is gaining strength with Pir Pagara accusing ROs of asking “irrelevant questions” and stating that the time given for scrutiny of the nomination papers was not sufficient to screen out defaulters. That former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar was asked to submit her nikah nama by an overzealous RO is beyond ones understanding. It appears no one has actually told an RO what the limits of he is and is not allowed to ask. The entire scrutiny procedure has given of the bad smell of the judiciary using an opportunity to insult politicians. This is certainly not the ideal situation to be in and it is hoped lessons are learnt in both the present and future.