Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Chief Justice Irshad Hassan Khan (Retd) announced on Thursday the procedure to update the electoral rolls for the forthcoming Local Government elections.
Earlier, these electoral rolls were prepared in 2000-2001 prior to the holding of Local Government elections and the Chief Election Commissioner issued notice to review these rolls with inclusion, deletion and correction of the names of voters.
The CEC observed a large number of persons would have become eligible for enrolment as voters, a number of voters might have died or become disqualified and there might have been need for appropriate corrections.
"So a procedure is being laid down to fulfil this demand to updation of electoral rolls to facilitate the election process in the four provinces in a transparent manner," he viewed.
Under this procedure, the electoral rolls prepared for Local Government Elections, 2000-2001 shall be published as draft rolls in the offices of Registration Officers and Assistant Registration Officers and at some conspicuous place in each electoral areas inviting claims, objections and applications for corrections within such time as may be notified by the Chief Election Commissioner.
Any Pakistani national who is not less than 18 years of age on January 1 2004, is not declared by a competent court to be of unsound mind and is deemed to be ordinarily residing in the electoral area would be eligible to be enrolled as voter.
Claim for inclusion of name shall be accompanied by an attested photostat of the Computerised National Identity Card issued under National Database and Registration Authority Ordinance 2000.
A claim for inclusion of name shall be filed in Form "(Alf)" for Muslim voters and in Form "-A- (Bay)" for Non-Muslim voters.
Objections for deletion of existing entries shall be filed in Form "(bay)" and applications for corrections in the existing entries of the electoral rolls shall be filed in Form. ("Jeem)."
Claims, objections and applications for corrections shall be filed with the Registration Officers concerned or Assistant Registration Officers of the area.
The CEC has also announced to suitably increase the number of Assistant Registration Officer in each district to facilitate the filing of claims, objections etc.
A claim shall be signed by the person making it and shall be presented by the claimant himself or by any agent authorised by him in writing in this behalf.
However, no person shall prefer an objection to the inclusion of any name in the electoral rolls unless his name is entered in that electoral roll.
Every Registration Officer and Assistant Registration Officer, to whom claims and objections may be presented, shall maintain a register of claims and objections.
The Assistant Registration Officers after summary enquiry, if so required, shall send all claims, objections and applications received by him, with his recommendations, to the Registration Officer concerned.
The Registration Officer shall record his decision on each claim, objection and application received by him directly or through an Assistant Registration Officer.
After such summary enquiry as he may deem necessary, he will issue notices to both the objectors and the person against whom the objection is raised.
A representation shall lie against the decisions of a Registration Officer within 15 days from the date of such decision and shall be presented to a Revising Authority appointed by the Chief Election Commissioner for any electoral area or group of electoral areas.
The Revising Authority shall dispose of all representations received by him in a manner that the Revising Authority shall cause to be served a notice on the person making representation against the decision of Registration Officer.
In case of an objection, notices shall cause to be served on the objector as well as on the person to whom the objection relates.
The Revising Authority shall hold a summary enquiry into each representation preferred before it on the day fixed for the purpose.
While hearing a representation, the Revising Authority may, besides the person making such Representations, hear such other person who desires to be heard in connection with the representation made before it.
The Revising Authority, after considering any verbal or written objection preferred, shall decide the representation made to it and inform the concerned Registration Officer accordingly.
Dates for each stage of the updation process shall be notified by the Chief Election Commissioner.
The Registration Officer shall cause to make amendments in the relevant electoral rolls in accordance with the decisions made by him on claims, objection and applications for corrections or by a Revising Authority on the representations preferred before it as the case may be, before final publication of updated electoral rolls on a date to be fixed by the chief Election Commissioner.
The CEC directed that no person shall be enrolled on the electoral roll for any electoral area more than once or on the electoral rolls for more than one electoral area.
It was clarified that nothing in this order shall in any way curtail or abridge the powers of the Chief Election Commissioner to pass any order under section 157 (2) of the Local Government Ordinances, 2001 and all other powers enabling him in that behalf.