While local government elections are nowhere in sight, it provides a modicum of relief to find that Cantonment Board elections are around the corner. Cantonment Boards have the power to approve taxes and levies proposed by the cantonment administration; approve bye-laws prepared by the cantonment administration; approve annual budget for the cantonment administration; approve long and short term development plans for the cantonment; and review the performance of the cantonment administration.
Within days of the ECP announcing the election schedule and code of conduct, there has been an upsurge in electoral activities in the 42 cantonment boards spread all over the country indicating the people’s eagerness to exercise their right to elect members of grassroot organizations that look after their civic needs.
With the opposition parties and the PTI engaged in a no-holds-barred fight, both sides suspect each other of trying to win the elections through foul play. To prevent this the ECP has already announced a code of conduct preventing transfers and appointments of public servants, besides barring all the executive authorities from announcing or launching any development package or using state resources in Cantonment Board elections till the announcement of the election results.
The blame game has meanwhile started. Khwaja Saad Rafique has alleged that the PTI leaders were using all official resources to get their candidates elected. He maintains that the PML(N) has approached the ECP in writing about the ongoing pre-poll rigging. The PML(N) also wants the election results to be announced on September 12 rather than five days later and to extend the time for voting by two hours. The ECP possesses the mechanism to settle complaints of the type.
The PTI has put up a bizarre demand. It wants deployment of troops both inside and outside the polling stations for maintaining “law and order” and “ensuring transparency” on the election day in all the cantonment boards. The provincial governments have police at their disposal and can also call the Rangers to assist in the polls. The army is currently fully focused on the borders with India and Afghanistan. Calling it out to manage a small election would reflect badly on the competence of the provincial governments and the ECP.
