Japan granted 183 million Japanese Yen (approximately $ 2 million) to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the electoral process. The grant will fund polling staff training, development of elections results management, and voter education and public outreach. Notes to this effect were signed by Japan’s Charge d’affaires to Pakistan Akira Kono and UNDP Pakistan Country Director Marc-Andr Franche. ECP Additional Secretary Mohammad Afzal Khan was also present on the occasion, said a news release on Sunday. The project aims at strengthening the capacity of the ECP and to enhance participation of the general public in the elections, including women and the youth. Speaking on the occasion, Kono said the next election would be another landmark in the history of democracy in Pakistan. “It is essential that both, the authorities and the people in Pakistan play their roles in order to make the upcoming elections credible, transparent and inclusive,” he remarked. He hoped that the project would be effectively implemented by the ECP and the UNDP, in close coordination with other partners. The Japanese delegate encouraged every stakeholder in Pakistan to work for credible, transparent, and inclusive elections. By doing so, he stated, Pakistan could show to the world that the country has completed yet another stage of consolidating its democracy and he would like to see that today’s agreement would help Pakistan to achieve this goal.
