One fails to understand why must the CEC be proposed by a political party, as anyone proposing someone would certainly have an interest in him and what could that interest be, except to favour his party in the elections? How would the CEC favour them, unless he does something unethical? So, the very idea of selecting the CEC by political parties is fraught with corruption.
To my mind the political parties should have nothing to do with the selection of the CEC, instead the Supreme Court should appoint him and he need not be a retired justice, he or she could be any honest, capable and proficient person with an impeccable character, highly patriotic, hard working and energetic and finally absolutely firm and fair. He can be a retired or serving bureaucrat, a defence personnel or an academician – more so because conducting elections is more of an administrative task than sitting in judgment over the contesting candidates and political parties, for which judicial staff can always be in attendance to assist him where required. I am sure that if we have fair and transparent elections and of course contested by the honest and selfless patriotic politicians, Pakistan can become one of the most advanced nations in a very short time.
COL. RIAZ JAFRI (RETD),
Rawalpindi, November 6.