Delimitation of constituencies: ECP to hear objections from April 4

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will take up the intricate process of representations regarding delimitation of constituencies from April 4 and hear objections regarding Kasur and Battagram districts.

In all on the opening day of the hearing on representations, there are at least 16 individuals listed for presenting their objections/concerns on delimitation of constituencies of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies.

The filers of representations have been directed to appear before the ECP bench at 10:00 am here at the Election Commission Secretariat. There are speculations that the process of dealing with some 400 representations may take more time than being anticipated. The ECP is in the process of issuing notices to the concerned parties and will hold deliberations daily amid speculations that petitioners would give tough time to the ECP bench.

Before that, the ECP will hear application of Milli Muslim League (MML) today (April 2) here at the Election Commission Secretariat, besides taking up a number of other petitions on disqualifications and defection, involving MQM and Qaumi Watan Party of Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao.

The ECP had, previously declined to enlist MML as a political party after obtaining opinion from the Ministry of Interior. However, after getting an order from the Islamabad High Court in early March, the electoral body announced to accordingly hear the MML petition afresh. MML is seen as the political face of Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

Meanwhile, the massive training of over 0.8 million polling staff is set to begin during April, as the Election Commission starts imparting training to 2,644 master trainers from April 2, which will continue till April 22.

Of these, 1,337 are from Punjab, 621 from Sindh, 492 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 194 from Balochistan.

“Master trainers, then will give training to around 0.8 million persons from all the four provinces and majority of them belongs to Punjab, keeping the number of its provincial and National Assembly constituencies,” said a senior ECP official while talking to The News here.

He pointed out that never before in the past, so many polling staff had been trained and deployed during general elections. Replying to a question, he said that the estimated cost on training would be around Rs10,83,850,000.

About training of 0.8 million persons, mostly taken from the education departments of the four provinces, he explained lists of the government employees had been obtained about a year back and after scrutiny, mainly about their political background, they were selected for polling job. “We have tried that none with a political background i.e. having active political linkages is selected for polling duty during general election,” he contended.