A panel of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) while expressing concern has said that it has not received any funds for arrangements of general election 2018. The Planning Committee of Election Commission of Pakistan met in the chair of Secretary ECP Babar Yaqoob.
The meeting was attended by provincial election commissioners to discuss the preparations for the next general election. The committee expressed its concern that the government has yet to release funds for training of polling staff, procurement of CCTV cameras, result transmission system (RTS), biometric machines and other election related material.
The government has only released funds which are consumed in paying salaries and other office expenditures. The committee also agreed to start exercise of enlisting names of new voters throughout Pakistan in September 2017. The commission will announce this formally so that new computerized national identity cards (CNICs) holders could enlist their names in the voters list.
The committee was informed that the commission has completed the compiling of data of those government officials who will perform duties during general election. The commission will arrange their training in various phases following the approval of draft of election reforms from the Parliament.
The committee also agreed to use result management system (RMS), result transmission system (RTS) and biometric machines on experimental basis in by-election in constituency PP-4. The committee also reviewed the arrangements in PS-114 by-election in Karachi and expressed satisfaction over the role of law enforcement agencies in maintaining law and order during the voting hours.