Officials directed to make preparations for polls

PESHAWAR: A senior government official on Friday said the provincial government would extend all-out support to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to help conduct free, fair and transparent elections.

A handout said that Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhary and Inspector General Police Akhtar Hayat Gandapur jointly chaired a meeting at the Civil Secretariat here. Additional Chief Secretary Home and Tribal Affairs, Provincial Election Commissioner, Local Government Secretary, Education secretary and others attended the meeting that focused on the preparations for the next general election.

Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Abid Majeed, briefed the meeting on the election preparations. Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhary directed the commissioners and deputy commissioners to work closely with district election commissioners in their respective districts.

He stated that the provincial government would support the ECP in conducting free, fair and transparent elections. He urged authorities concerned to expedite preparations in accordance with the ECP guidelines.

He said that it was the prime objective of the caretaker government to facilitate a transparent electoral process in collaboration with the ECP. The chief secretary ordered provision of facilities at polling stations, especially those located within educational institutions, ensuring a conducive environment for voters.

The meeting decided that political parties would be required to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from deputy commissioners for holding public meetings. The meeting was informed that the upcoming general election in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would cover 55 National Assembly and 145 provincial assembly seats with a total of 21621211 registered voters in the province.