The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) is missing the biometric data of 29,607 voters in the NA-120 constituency where by-elections are to be held on Sept 17, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Additional Secretary Fida Mohammad Khan revealed in a press conference on Monday.

Khan said that ECP had decided to install biometric verification machines at 100 polling booths in 39 polling stations on a test basis, but voters whose fingerprints are not in NADRA's database will not be able to participate in the process.

He assured that these voters will not be excluded from the process, as their identities would be verified using their National Identity Cards.

The additional secretary told the media that voters will first be verified through the standard process and then through biometric machines.

He claimed that NADRA had the complete data of 291,880 NA-120 voters and would therefore be able to verify their identifies through the biometric vmachines. He disclosed that the total number of voters in the constituency is 321,786.

Khan said that the voters who choose to participate in biometric verification would be made to sign an agreement and be briefed on the process by a polling officer.

Discussing the preparations for the upcoming by-poll, Khan said that provision of electricity to every polling station would be a challenge for the ECP.

The NA-120 seat was vacated after former premier Nawaz Sharif stepped down after being disqualified by the Supreme Court in the verdict of Panama Papers case. His wife, Kulsoom Nawaz is now contesting for the seat as PML-N's candidate, against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's Yasmin Rashid and Pakistan People's Party's Faisal Mir, among others.