President Mamnoon said that illiterate and low-income segments of society should also be taken into consideration while aligning the electoral process with information technology and modern trends. “A balance needs to be created between old methods and modern technology so that there is no interruption in the functionality of the system”, he added. He urged that while maintaining the spirit of rules and regulations, it is necessary to adopt certain non-traditional methods to further make it easy to attain objectives. “For example, it can also be useful to involve other segments and institutions of the society including political parties and mosques to further expand the system for training of voters”, he opined.
He said that it shows that ECP is also soliciting the support of other institutions of the state including civil society to further improve the electoral system. He noted that it is a welcome development but sometimes actual progress is not consistent with the statistics shown on the papers. He stressed that improvement of electoral laws is a continuous process in which parliament; political parties, think tanks and other social institutions play an important role adding that we are also undergoing this process. He said that different segments of society and relevant organisations have worked hard to achieve this greater goal. “The nation is hopeful that all technical hurdles in the way of next general elections will also be resolved with the same ease”, he added.
Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of State for Human Rights Barrister Usman Ibrahim, members of parliament and diplomats were also present on the occasion. Chief Election Commissioner and Secretary ECP also addressed the ceremony.
Later, the president said that Pakistan strongly condemns the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by the United States. He added that it will have a negative impact on the peace and stability of the region.
While supporting the proposal of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to call the OIC summit, President hoped that Muslim Ummah will take a strong notice of making Jerusalem the capital of Israel and OIC summit will adopt a tough stance on it. He stressed that declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will be denounced at all international fora.