Staff Reporter:
The Cabinet Division has issued three directives to the administration to ensure the smooth conduct of the 12th national parliamentary election.
A letter containing these instructions has been dispatched from the Cabinet Division on Thursday to all levels of administration, including ministries, departments, field administration, and the police.
The letter emphasizes the national responsibility of conducting the 12th national election in a free, fair, and impartial manner, with the Election Commission Secretariat seeking cooperation from all stakeholders in achieving this goal.
In this regard, three measures have been outlined in the letter to facilitate the seamless execution of the 12th national parliamentary election:
The administration is instructed to provide assistance and cooperation to the Election Commission by impartially carrying out the duties assigned in the upcoming election program, adhering to the law and rules. Immediate instructions are to be given to the officers and employees under them from various ministries, divisions, departments, offices, or organizations for this purpose.
Similar instructions are to be issued by the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education to teachers working in government, government-aided, and private educational institutions.
To ensure the continuous execution of election-related work, all ministries, departments, as well as government, semi-government, autonomous offices or institutions, and organizations are instructed to grant leave or transfer employees to another location until the completion of the election work. Any obligation may be interrupted, and they are to refrain from performing any duty during this period.
The letter cites Article 126 of the Constitution and Article 5 of the Representation of the People Order, 1972, stating the duty of executive authorities and all concerned to cooperate with the Election Commission in the election process.
Additionally, according to Article 446 of the Representation of the People Order, 1972, no officer or employee mentioned in that article can be transferred to another place without the permission of the Election Commission until 15 days after the election schedule is issued.
For the proper management and execution of election-related activities, the letter emphasizes the need to appoint presiding officers or assistant presiding officers from among the officers and employees of all ministries or departments, as well as government, semi-government, autonomous, semi-autonomous offices or institutions.
Teachers from government, government-aided, and private educational institutions may also be assigned various electoral duties.
The cooperation of all government and private officers and employees is deemed necessary for the proper execution of election work, and they are urged to provide the required support and cooperation to the Election Commission by fulfilling their assigned duties.
The letter also highlights the provisions of the Electoral Officers (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which ensures discipline and control of election officers to guarantee free, fair, and impartial elections.
Officers or employees entrusted with election-related work will be considered to be working on deputation under the Election Commission as an additional duty until relieved of election duty.
They shall be under the control of the Election Commission and the returning officer, obeying all lawful orders or directions. While serving on deputation, electoral duties will take precedence, and officers and employees are required to follow any instructions of the returning officer promptly.
