The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), under the dynamic leadership of former Justice Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, is making all necessary arrangements to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in the country.
This was stated by Ishtiak Ahmad Khan, Secretary ECP while talking to Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, UK Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who met him here on Tuesday.
Ishtiak said that all the stakeholders including political parties, civil societies, and media etc are being consulted and kept on board about electoral reforms and decisions of the ECP.
The Secretary highlighted the preparation of error-free and credible Electoral Rolls-2012 published on May 31, 2012 and said that every citizen of Pakistan, who possesses CNIC, has been enrolled as voter in the Electoral Rolls. The number of voters in the Electoral Rolls-2012 is now 84 million while one million citizens have been issued CNIC after May 31, 2012.
The presiding officers will be provided copies of Electoral Rolls with photo and a column for thumb impression of voters with magnetised ink which will help eliminate chances of impersonation in the coming polls, he added.
Ishtiak Khan said that an exercise is in process for declaring government buildings as permanent polling stations and there will be no change of polling stations at the eleventh hour. The list of these polling stations will be published after consultation with stakeholders well before polling day and will also be placed at the website of the ECP, so that voters know, where to go vote on election day.
Various code of conducts have been prepared for political parties, contesting candidates, media, observers and security personnel and it will be implemented in letter and spirit.
For the first time, ballot papers will be prepared bearing special security features and on specially manufactured non-market paper to prevent copy of the ballot papers by any quarter.
Sayeeda Warsi said that the upcoming elections are a crucial milestone in Pakistan's democratic history. She said that a strong, stable, constitutional democracy and a legitimate transfer of power are firmly in Pakistan's interests.-PR