- Secretary says ECP to dispatch ballot papers to around 85,000 polling stations before polling day
ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) Secretary Babar Yaqoob on Sunday said that the process of printing of 220 million ballot papers for the general election 2018 would be completed by July 20.
Talking to journalists here, he said that formally the process of printing of the ballot papers was started today, which would be completed on time. He said that the commission had prepared a plan for dispatch of the ballot papers to around 85,000 polling stations across the country well before the polling day.
He said that the ballot papers would be dispatched to far-flung areas of Balochistan through aeroplanes. He said that the paper being used for the ballots carrying all security features was imported from abroad. The process of transportation of the ballot paper from Karachi was underway through C-130 planes, Pakistan International Airlines and trucks.
He said that the Pakistan Army had been providing security to the Printing Corporation of Pakistan and other places during printing of the ballot papers. Babar Yaqoob said that the strict monitoring was being conducted in violation of code of conduct and on repetition of violation, the ECP might issue disqualification notices to the candidates.
The ECP secretary said that no one would be allowed to place banners and posters against the commission’s approved size and asked the contesting candidates to remove their banners and posters exceeding the approved size. He said that the commission had issued the final polling scheme for the national and the provincial assemblies’ constituencies for the conduct of the general election.
Earlier, the ECP secretary visited the Printing Corporation of Pakistan and examined the arrangements for printing of the ballot papers.