ISLAMABAD, Oct 4: The Colombo-based International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) will send a 38-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Observer Group for the election.

The ICES coordinated similar missions in 1988, 1990, 1993 and 1997.

The mission will assemble in Karachi on Saturday and it will be divided in small teams to be deployed for observance of the electoral process.

A sub-group of the mission, consisting of six senior members, will arrive here on Oct 8 from Karachi. The group will comprise: Farooq Choudry, former foreign secretary, from Bangladesh; Prof Birendra Mishra, former election commissioner, and Daman Dhungana, former speaker of the lower house of parliament, from Nepal; and Srinath Perera, attorney at law, presidents counsel, Jean Samuel, programme manager of Save the Children, Norway, and Tassi Seneviratne, retired deputy inspector-general of police, public accountability project of human rights, from Sri Lanka.

According to Pakistan Security and Development Association, the group is likely to meet the chief election commissioner, foreign minister, foreign secretary, interior secretary and representatives of political parties.