24 April 2005	Sunday	14 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

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ISLAMABAD, April 23: Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar on Saturday emphasized the need for holding free, fair and impartial local government elections 2005. An official announcement issued from Islamabad said the meeting of the officers of the Election Commission was called to review the arrangement for the upcoming local government elections, scheduled to be held in July-August, 2005 throughout the country in two phases.

Since the foreign observers, he emphasized, have also shown their inclination to observe these elections, therefore the officers of the commission should not leave any stone unturned in ensuring that these local government elections were conducted in a free manner and should work as an indicator for the next general elections, the acting chief election commissioner said.

The meeting, which was presided over by Mr Dogar, was also attended by Justice Mohammad Sadiq Leghari, Judge High Court of Sindh and Member Election Commission, Sindh; Kanwar Mohammad Dilshad, secretary, Election Commission, and Ahmed Ali Halepota, provincial election commissioner, Sindh, Karachi. The controller, Stationery and Farms Department, and the manager, Printing Corporation of Pakistan Press, Karachi, also attended the meeting.

Mr Dogar asked the officers of the commission from Karachi that during local government election 2005 the district returning officers, assistant returning officers and their staff should also be paid with suitable honoraria in recognition of their services in the local government election.

He reiterated that the prime objective of the commission should be to hold free, fair and impartial local government elections and that they be held in such a way that no complaint from any quarter was received.

To achieve this goal, the provincial governments have already been issued directions to extend fullest cooperation to the election commission and its functionaries.

He emphasized the need for having durable ballot boxes and showed satisfaction while inspecting the ballot boxes.

Earlier, Mr Dilshad, apprised the meeting that there were more than 64 million eligible voters in the country while 350,000 ballot boxes were available with the commission to cater the voters in two phases.