Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said the commission had taken several concrete initiatives for ensuring fair, impartial and transparent elections in the country.
He said this in a brief address to the participants of the 97th National Management Course (NMC), who visited the ECP on their inland study tour on Thursday.
Khan said the initiatives included electoral rolls bearing photographs of voters, acquisition of thumb impression of each voter casting their vote to avoid impersonation, preparation of non-market ballot papers with special security features, result management system for making the result compilation process fast, preparation and implementation of a Code of Conduct for political parties, establishment of permanent polling stations and development of its own website, a comprehensive voters’ awareness campaign, establishment of District Outreach and Security Committee, and setting up of a permanent election tribunal for quick disposal of election disputes in day to day hearings.
The participants appreciated the commission’s new initiatives and lauded it for achieving more than 60 percent of the goals set out in the ECP’s five-year Strategic Plan 2010-14.