ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has received from the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) data of voters registered in the National Assembly constituency NA-120 (Lahore).

The ECP plans to test-run biometric verification machines at selected polling stations during the upcoming by-poll for NA-120 slated for Sept 17. The seat fell vacant after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case.

Sources in Nadra and ECP told Dawn that the commission had received the data which would now be fed into biometric machines to be used during the trial run.

The ECP sought data from Nadra under Article 220 of the Constitution which reads: “It shall be the duty of all executive authorities in the federation and in the province to assist the commissioner and the election commission in the discharge of his and their functions”.

An ECP official said the data of voters for NA-120 was being critically analysed. He said that polling station-wise data would be stored in biometric verification machines to authenticate voters before issuance of ballot papers to them.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2017