ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday advised foreign observers coming to monitor the Feb 18 election to inform the Interior Ministry or provincial governments about their plan to visit polling stations so that adequate security arrangements could be made for them.
It said the observers would be allowed to monitor the process of polling, counting of votes and compilation of results by returning officers.
The commission said the presiding officers, under the law, were required to provide copies of the statement of count to polling agents, candidates and national and international observers.
ECP secretary Kanwar Dilshad said that in order to strengthen the democratic system, electoral materials of international standard were being used.
He said that polling staff had been given training under the supervision of international experts. “An extensive public awareness campaign about the elections through the print and electronic media has been launched.”
He said that arrangements had been made for the observers to enable them to monitor the poll proceedings.
He said that constituency-wise DVDs had been prepared and supplied free of cost to major political parties for the first time in the electoral history of Pakistan. “For the facility of political parties, candidates and the general public, computerised electoral rolls have been put on the ECP website.”
The presiding officers, he said, would have the powers of first class magistrate to maintain order at polling stations. They can remove any person “who misconducts at a polling station or fails to obey any lawful order of the presiding officer”.
Kanwar Dilshad said that law-enforcement personnel would be on duty outside polling stations, but they would not be allowed to enter the polling stations and booths unless required by the presiding officers.
He said that presiding officers had been asked to strictly observe Section 38 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 relating to the proceedings at the close of poll.
