Punjab, KP polls: ECP puts off meeting pending SC decision

ISLAMABAD: Postponing its scheduled meeting for Thursday on the president’s fixing of poll dates for the legislatures of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Election Commission of Pakistan decided to await the Supreme Court’s order in the suo motu case regarding the matter.

A senior official of the commission told The News that the situation had altogether changed now, following the apex court’s move, and that the election commission would present its views on the issue before the Supreme Court if and when needed.

President Arif Alvi has fixed April 9 as the polling date for the provincial assemblies, whereas the election commission contends that the head of state has no mandate on this count, and the same position has been taken by the Attorney-General of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the ECP has completed arrangements for the upcoming by-election in NA-193, Rajanpur-I, scheduled for February 26. The seat has fallen vacant following the death of Sardar Jafar Leghari.

“We have made all possible arrangements to conduct this election process in a clean, transparent, peaceful manner by the law. The presiding officers will receive the polling bags from the returning officers, and the police will provide security to the presiding officers and stay with the polling staff till the completion of the election process,” an official said.

Adequate security arrangements have been made at 237 polling stations in the constituency. Police, Rangers, and Pakistan Army personnel will perform duties to ensure law and order. Instructions have been issued to the presiding officers that they will keep their location on their mobile devices while taking the picture of Form 45 on the polling day, and they will take a clear picture of Form 45 in front of the polling agents and immediately send it to the returning officers on WhatsApp in the presence of polling agents.

In the absence of internet facilities, the presiding officer will immediately reach the returning officer’s office and hand over the original copy of Form 45 to the returning officer. The returning officer will review the photograph and location details, take a picture of the location and time details on the mobile device of the presiding officer, and store these forensic details on the computer in his office.

The election commission has instructed that every candidate should ensure the training of his polling agents, and they should not leave the polling station without receiving Form 45 signed by the presiding officer. Each presiding officer shall be obliged to provide a signed copy of Form 45 to the polling agents concerned at the polling station itself.

The district returning officer and returning officer have set up a special control room, which will continue to function from the beginning of the polling process until the initial results are compiled. In addition to the returning officer, the deputy commissioner, police, Rangers, and Pakistan Army officials or their representatives will be present in the control room so that timely steps can be taken to deal with any extraordinary situation. In addition, the election commission has set up separate control rooms at the central and provincial levels to deal with any kind of complaint on election day, which will continue to function uninterrupted from 7:00 a.m. on the polling day until the initial results are announced. There will be a complete ban on the continuation of campaigning by the election candidates from noon in the night on the intervening nights of February 24 and 25. In addition, section 144(6) has been imposed by the Punjab government in the Rajanpur district from February 24 to 27 to maintain law and order. Weapons display and the use of loudspeaker winding systems are prohibited throughout the district.