The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would re-verify the voter lists it has so far consolidated in Karachi through random checks. The ECP has so far verified 45 percent of the voters’ list in Karachi so far and has failed to give a deadline for verification of the remaining 55 percent. A source that attended a meeting of political parties convened by Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim at ECP Sindh on Monday said the CEC had stated that army officials would accompany the ECP verifiers from now onwards in their door-to-door visits. However, the process might not be completed in the given time i.e. February 1, due to the poor law and order in the city, ECP insiders said. In a significant development on Monday, the army set up a control room at the office of the Sindh provincial election commissioner. According to the insiders, the Electoral Voter Verification Coordination Cell (EVVCC) would work under a colonel-level officer at ECP Sindh who would coordinate with the ECP staff and address the reservations of the political parties and the general public. The ECP meeting was attended by representatives of over eight politico-religious parties that concluded their three-day sit-in outside the ECP Sindh office on Monday. They warned of joining the PML-N’s sit-in outside the Parliament House if their demands were not met. Those who attended the meeting included Saleem Zia of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Syed Hafeezuddin of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Muhammad Hussain Mehanti, Raja Arif Sultan, Birjees Ahmed and Zahid Askari of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Mushtaque Noorani of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Pakistan (JUI-P), Qari Usman of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Ghulam Mustafa Farooqui of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Sami (JUI-S), Mazhar Rahuja of Awami Tehreek (AT) and Jalal Mehmood Shah of Sindh United Party (SUP). Sindh Election Commissioner Mehboob Anwar and his predecessor Sono Khan Baloch were also present. “The CEC assured us that the electoral lists that have been verified so far would be re-verified,” a participant confided to Pakistan Today after the meeting. Earlier, Sindh Election Commissioner Mehboob Anwar said while 99 percent of the house count had completed, only 45 percent of the verification target had been achieved so far. “The house count would conclude today (Tuesday), while the completion date for the verification process would be extended beyond February 1,” the provincial election commissioner said. According to an ECP source, the uncertain law and order during recent weeks in the city had delayed the verification task, the completion date for which would now be decided later.
