News
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
ECP prepares for upcoming Senate, general elections
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has made key decisions to speed up the work to hold the upcoming Senate as well as general elections in the country.
The meeting of the ECP was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Hamid Ali Mirza, and attended by provincial chief election commissioners and officials of the ECP and other government departments.
Election Commission Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed Khan told the meeting that the ECP was constitutionally bound to hold fair, transparent and credible elections.
He said all the important tasks should be completed within the given timeline so that the printing of final electoral rolls (FER) and completion of all these activities end by May 2012. He observed that all efforts were being made by NADRA to complete the exercise with regards to preparation of preliminary electoral rolls (PER), followed by FER, as soon as possible, and that a report in this regard had been sent to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The secretary observed that SMS facility had been provided by the ECP to the registered voters for checking their entries as voters in the relevant Electoral Rolls. He said that as decided by the ECP in its meeting held on November 30, 2011, SMS charges for the public to check their voting details had been fixed at Rs 2 per SMS.
The commission was informed that a proposal was being sent to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs with regards to amending the law for providing name, CNIC number and photographs, and to obtain thumb impression of voters in digitised ink, only on the electoral rolls to be used by the presiding officers. Regarding the printing of electoral rolls with photo and thumb impression, it was discussed that photograph of the voter and column for thumb impression of the voter, should be used at the time of election by the presiding officers only, and the remaining required number of sets – without photograph and thumb impression of the voter – will be discussed with all major political parties in a meeting, to be held soon.
It was decided that the deputy election commissioners (DECs) shall work as revising authorities in their respective districts while for the remaining districts in their division, lists for appointment of revising authorities from amongst the federal government, provincial and district government officers had been obtained through the PECs, that was being scrutinised. The ECP would also arrange orientation for these revising authorities. As the population census report is to be published by the Population Census Organisation in the second half of 2013, and as no fresh delimitation is to be carried out for next general elections, therefore, the commission decided that the PECs shall submit proposals for re-description of constituencies within 10 days.
The proposals received from the PECs shall be placed before the Election Commission of Pakistan for its further consideration and decision. It will be purely an internal exercise and will be completed by the end of February 2012.
In the context of implementation of Supreme Court directions with regards to fresh delimitation in Karachi, the Sindh PEC informed that meetings were in progress with respective provincial authorities. It was also decided that the draft “Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates, Media, Observers, Law-enforcement Agencies and Polling Agents” should be placed before the stakeholders in a consultative meeting.
The meeting was told that the Printing Corporation of Pakistan and the Security Printing Corporation had been asked to arrange non-market paper containing special security features, including a watermark, to prevent the possibility of printing of bogus ballot paper by any quarter.
It was also decided that efforts should be made to establish permanent polling stations so that the voters could be assigned polling stations well before the elections.
“The lists of permanent polling stations shall be placed on ECP’s website for information of general public well in advance of an election,” the meeting decided.
It was also decided that the PECs should approach the registrars of their respective high courts and obtain the names of retired district & sessions judges for their appointment as election tribunals within two weeks. “Like wise, suitable buildings for establishment of their offices shall be identified by the PECs and a detailed proposal in this regard shall be submitted to the ECP for consideration and approval,” the meeting decided. “Necessary furniture and equipment will also be purchased to make the tribunals functional as soon as possible, so that they could start disposing of election petitions within the period specified in the law.”To ensure peaceful conduct of poll, a district election security committee, headed by DROs concerned, was approved at the meeting. The committee would consist of district returning officer, returning officer, district coordination officer (DCO) or their authorised representatives, district police officers (DPOs) or their authorised representatives and officials of Frontier Corps, Frontier Constabulary, Rangers, Levies force, Khasadar Force and Punjab Constabulary. This Committee will approve the security plan.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk