'National Voters Day' preparation was given finishing touches in a meeting held here on Saturday with Acting Secretary, Muhammad Afzal Khan in the chair. Senior officers, representatives of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES), National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and communication partners were present in the meeting.
The Acting Secretary expounded the entire programme with all the working partners. The ECP for the first time in the history of Pakistan is celebrating October 17, 2012 as a 'National Voters Day' and is determined to carry out its message at a grass root level to increase the turnout ratio for a better and prosperous democratic Pakistan.
The first such celebration will take place on October 17 at ECP Secretariat, Islamabad, all provincial capitals and some 130 district offices in the country as well as in FATAs. The meeting finalised the activities to be carried out on the National Voters Day. It is worth mentioning that the Prime Minster of Pakistan Raja Pervez Ashraf has issued directives to all the Secretaries of the Federal government ministries/divisions, and their attached departments including corporations and autonomous bodies to actively assist the ECP in celebrating the Day to create awareness among the public for their active participation in electoral process.
The provincial chief ministers and chief secretaries have also forwarded directives to their respective departments for highlighting voter's participation and to assist the ECP and NADRA in enhancing voter registration and voter awareness. Prime Minster also directed that Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Education and Health to chalk out special motivational programmes in collaboration with the ECP to make this national cause a success.-PR