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Thursday March 28, 2024

ECP evolves system to monitor polls in each district

By Mumtaz Alvi
April 27, 2017

Islamabad

The Election Commission of Pakistan’s Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad on Tuesday said a comprehensive system was being evolved to monitor electoral process in each district, as part of the ongoing preparations to hold general election next year.

The 2018 general election, he maintained, would be the largest and most important electoral exercise for which hectic preparations were currently afoot.

The ECP secretary was speaking here at a meeting, which reviewed the seven-day training being imparted to 28 district election commissioners, belonging to the four provinces as well as the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Explaining the monitoring being devised to encompass the nation-wide exercise, Babar said that a full-fledged wining would be dedicated for this purpose and apolitical people with good reputation be part of the drive. The monitoring wing, he noted, would carry out monitoring at each phase of the electoral exercise.

He asked the district election commissioners (DECs) to immediately send names of four persons from each district to the Election Commission so that after being accorded approval to them, they could be assigned responsibilities in this connection.

The ECP secretary added the provincial election commissioners had also been issued directions in this connection. This is for the first time that persons with no political background would be involved in the poll monitoring process.

Referring to the related proposed legislation, Babar expressed hope that the election bill would soon be adopted by the Parliament, which would give powers to the Election Commission to have control over the polling staff.

He continued the new piece of legislation would also envisage wide-ranging powers to the electoral body with regards to the postings and transfers of the polling staff members.

PML-N’s candidate Shehryar Khan has been notified as returned candidate from PP-23, Chakwal IV in the bye-election held a few days back.

The Election Commission has also notified name of PPP’s returned candidate to the Provincial Assembly of Sindh from PS-81 Sanghar-cum-Mirpurkhas II (Old Sanghar IV) Jam Madad Ali Khan. He returned in the recently-held bye-election.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan has issued directions that bye-elections of all the councils fall in districts Jhal Magsi, Kachhi and Barkhan shall be postponed, till the completion of the ongoing Population Census, on the request of deputy commissioners /provincial government in Balochistan province.