IT is a matter of serious concern that the incumbent Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, who is widely respected for his honesty and integrity, has constantly remained a target of politically motivated attacks from the very outset of his tenure, especially after the Daska by-elections. The latest onslaught against his person was launched in the name of the representative bodies of the legal community, which accused him of irregularities regarding election procedures, delimitations and seat allocations, demanding his resignation from the coveted office at a time when the electoral body was in full gear to fulfil its constitutional responsibility of holding free, fair and transparent polls.
Because of the delicate nature of his professional responsibilities, it is next to impossible for any CEC or for that matter the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to keep all stakeholders in good mood, therefore, political parties, politicians and contestants keep on raising objections to different moves and initiatives of the electoral bodies but the way the incumbent CEC has been targeted by vested interests amounts to undermining strength and working of one of the crucially important national institutions. Sikandar Sultan Raja served in different capacities during his unblemished bureaucratic career and earned a reputation as an upright officer committed to serving the nation. The then Minister for Railways, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, was so impressed by him as Secretary Railway that close to his retirement, the Minister recommended to the then Prime Minister Imran Khan to retain “a diligent, focused, honest and extremely hardworking officer who had been an invaluable asset in my quest to convert Pakistan Railways into an efficient-cum-profitable service provider to our nation.” The remarks used by the Sheikh to characterize the personality and the conduct of Sikandar Sultan Raja are substantiated by all those who know or worked with him, therefore, one can understand the motivation of those who have been attacking him repeatedly. His criticism by the vested interests is not supported by the ground realities as he remained unbiased in the discharge of his duties. This was amply demonstrated when the Commission, under his able leadership, succeeded in holding transparent by-elections repeatedly in the most trying circumstances. Similarly, a few instances of alleged irregularities in delimitation of constituencies do not offer justification for his character assassination or any demand for his resignation as there is always a scope for mis-judgement but mechanisms do exist to rectify the wrong, if any. Analysts argue that representative bodies of the legal community have become an active stakeholder in the political process as many of their members are joining a party to grab the opportunity to make it to the corridors of power and the criticism is part of their strategy to put the CEC under pressure. The move also becomes intriguing following media reports that President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Shahzad Shaukat, who is, these days, in Saudi Arabia and in his whose name a statement was issued against the CEC, contacted Sikandar Sultan Raja to clarify that the legal body issued the said press release without his approval. It is also important to note that the bodies carrying out attack on the person of the CEC and demanding his resignation wanted the Supreme Court to take notice of the issues like alleged discrepancies in election procedures, delimitations and seat allocations, forgetting that the top court has twice dismissed pleas against delimitations asserting that this could derail the ongoing election process. The court has held that objections against delimitation of constituencies can be taken up after the general election. Political observers also believe that this is yet another attempt to cast a shadow on the timely conduct of the polls slated for February 08. In case of resignation of the CEC, the incomplete Election Commission would trigger another legal and constitutional crisis, which could effectively delay the elections. However, major political parties of the country – PML(N), PTI and PPP deserve appreciation for sensing the dangers involved in the proposition as they have promptly rejected the demand of the lawyers for removal of the CEC. We strongly believe that the tendency to target institutions and their heads just for the sake of advancing narrow agenda and designs must be shunned and instead those rendering services for the cause of the country should be encouraged and honoured.
