Two AJK presiding officers arrested for skipping duty

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission (EC) has suspended and got arrested two presiding officers deployed in an urban constituency of Kotli District who failed to report to their designated polling stations and instead went to a private residence, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Monday.

According to the Election Commission’s spokesperson, the Returning Officer (RO) was immediately instructed to recover the election material, including the polling bags, from the two officials and replace them without delay after the incident came to the Election Commission's notice.

The spokesperson said the Returning Officer promptly took the election material into official custody, removed the two presiding officers from their assignments, and they were arrested.

New presiding officers were subsequently appointed and dispatched to the respective polling stations to ensure that the polling process continued smoothly, transparently, impartially and without interruption.

The Election Commission further stated that legal proceedings had been initiated against the arrested officials under the relevant election laws and other applicable legal provisions, adding that further action would be taken in accordance with the law.

Reaffirming its commitment to the integrity of the electoral process, the Election Commission said it would not tolerate any negligence, maladministration, or violation of the code of conduct or legal instructions during elections.

Reporter: Zahid Bashir Chaudhry