The ECP has released to the press and public some of the important features of the final draft of the Electoral Reforms Bill approved by it. It is an excellent effort to make the elections as much free and fair as possible and I wish the ECP Godspeed in its mission and undertakings.
At the same time, I cannot help but wonder over our misfortune that our potential leaders, the contesting candidates, would need to be subjected to so much of scrutiny to ensure that the fraudsters, fake degree holders, bank loan defaulters, tax evaders, utility bills defaulters and other cheaters amongst them are not allowed to find their way to the polls! In other words, it is assumed that there will be cheaters who will submit their nomination papers knowing them to be false, forged or defective and that there will be political parties who would also field such persons of dubious character to represent their constituencies? Such persons who openly defy law and are so corrupt that they have emptied the nations exchequer, aspire to become leaders of the innocent and unsuspecting nation. How shameful? And, then they expect to be called honourable men? What honour do they have, what honourable deeds have they done for the betterment of the country?
Since we cannot entirely get rid of this menace and have to put up with the cheats, the ECP should take measures not only to check the fraudsters from entering the contest but also introduce a culture whereby such cheaters themselves do not come forward to contest the elections. No one knows them better than they themselves do. Any man with a conscience cannot do anything wrong or unjust, least of all an honourable leader. To introduce such a culture of self-imposed ethics and morality is the only way to improve the conduct of corrupt leaders. We also need to take very strict penal and punitive action(s) against such persons, debarring them as well as their immediate family members for life from politics, and imposing heavy fines as well as on their political party for nominating such persons. Only such strong castigatory actions would usher in a culture of enforced honesty and self-respect among our politicians who, unfortunately, right now feel no qualms or remorse about committing any crime.
They know that they would either buy their way out or get away scot-free due to their political prowess. Everyone in Pakistan is looking around and searching for honourable and honest men among all the political parties and finding none. No accused politician has been arrested in Pakistan leave alone been convicted. So, Mr. Justice Fakhruddin, Sir, do carry out the scrutiny but try to inculcate the culture of honesty amongst the politicians so that they themselves think hundred times before submitting their false nomination papers that would be rejected. Needless to say it will make the task of the ECP immensely easy.
COL RIAZ JAFRI (r),
Rawalpindi, January 24.