The Election Commission of Pakistan has ordered reshuffling the federal and provincial secretaries across the country ahead of the general elections.

The preemptive decision was taken on Tuesday to avert the misuse of state machinery for fair general elections. A notification issued by the ECP said that all federal and provincial secretaries need to be transferred barring such cases where the caretaker government considers a federal or provincial secretary needs not to be transferred. However, it said, all such cases need to be intimated to the Election Commission.

The other day, the Election Commission appointed Planning Commission Secretary Javed Iqbal as Punjab Chief Secretary after Education and Training Secretary Qamar Zaman Chaudhry refused to accept this responsibility.In another development, the Election Commission appears to have swept under the carpet its high-sounding drive against the politicians involved in the tax evasion of billions of rupees as the electoral body has declined the FBR’s request to make crucial changes in the software designed to net tax dodgers.

As of now, the commission seems to be aiming at the utility bills defaulter politicians to block their way from contesting the general elections while it does not look in the mood to lay hands on the mighty tax evaders.Exclusively available with this correspondent, a record of the official correspondence between the Federal Board of Revenue and the Election Commission of Pakistan reveals that the commission refused to entertain the FBR’s request to include the address details of tax defaulters in the FBR proformas (in the software) specifically prepared to scrutinise the politicians.

The said request was made to the ECP in letter number 3(10) ECP-121/201, dated March 21, 2013. Mohammad Tanvir Akhtar, Director Intelligence and Investigation Inland Revenue (I&I-IR), had written this letter to Additional Secretary ECP Afzal Khan.
In his reply dated March 24, Afzal Khan termed it “inappropriate to change software at this stage”.

The letter number F.6(4)2013-Res by him stated, “-instructions regarding scrutiny process along with the specific proforma have been issued to all returning officers, NAB (National Accountability Bureau), SBP (State Bank of Pakistan), FBR and Nadra (National Database Registration Authority).

The scrutiny software has already been developed and deployed at the ECP secretariat to facilitate the scrutiny process, which will commence soon. It seems inappropriate to change software at this stage. It is, therefore, requested to follow the decision of the commission in letter and spirit and make all necessary arrangements on priority basis at your end to facilitate the Election Commission of Pakistan in accomplishing this task of national importance, please.”

This newspaper called Afzal Khan at his two cell numbers for the ECP version on the issue. He did not respond. A message was also dropped at Khan’s official landline number but to no avail.Requesting anonymity, an FBR official said FBR, Nadra and ECP had decided earlier last month when the mechanism to net the tax evaders was formulated that the addresses of tax defaulter politicians would be provided in the prescribed proformas. Later the ECP not only overlooked this crucial proposal but also declined the FBR’s requests in this regard, the official said.

“Provision of addresses in prescribed proformas is necessary for effective scrutiny. This would provide our investigators easy accesses to the politicians concerned. Otherwise, the scrutiny would be a cosmetic exercise,” the official commented.Reacting to this development, former ECP secretary Kanwar Dilshad came down hard on the electoral body. “You can’t expect worse from a babu,” he said while questioning the rationale behind seeking the details of utility bill defaulters if major tax defaulters were let off the hook. “What is this superficial exercise all about? Another publicity stunt to grab media attention? That’s a real shame.”