The preparation of computerised electoral rolls is almost complete; 84.3 million eligible voters have been registered including 1.58 million new registrants.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan briefed a European Union Parliament Mission led by Jean Lambert on Wednesday at the Election Commission’s Secretariat. The delegation is visiting Pakistan to discuss ways to reinforce a mutually beneficial and cooperative relationship between ECP and EU.
The CEC told the delegation that he wishes to strengthen democracy in Pakistan through implementation of electoral laws and Supreme Court’s directions in letter and spirit.
He informed the partisipants that he has closely coordinated with NADRA, visiting and observing the finalization of electoral rolls as well as individual complaints; representatives of political parties are also being redressed immediately.
The CEC stated that it is a constitutional obligation of ECP to conduct honest, just and fair elections; however, providing and maintaining law and order is the sole responsibility of the executive and local administration.
He said that ECP attaches high priority to friendly relations with the international community and warmly welcomed election observers to monitor the by-elections to be held in NA-151 Multan, today (Thursday). He said that the ECP has always welcomed positive criticism from observers and their suggestions are given a lot of importance, as they assist ECP in streamlining future plans and making sure that discrepancies are never left unaddressed.
Lambert appreciated steps taken by the ECP to strengthen electoral norms in Pakistan and assured all possible support in implementing electoral reforms and strengthening democracy in the country. She also expressed her satisfaction in the discussions and resolved to develop EU linkages with democratic institutions in Pakistan.
