ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday wrote a letter to the energy secretary seeking necessary directions to authorities concerned to ensure provision of uninterrupted electricity in 14 Sindh districts where local government elections are going to be held on Sunday (tomorrow) till the finalisation of results.

ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan wrote to Dr Rashid Mehmood Langrial, the energy secretary, explaining that that as per the law, immediately after the end of polling, the presiding officers are required to count the ballot papers polled in favour of each contesting candidate at the polling stations and announce the preliminary result thereof at the polling stations.

“This is a time consuming process which is likely to go on well after 5pm. It is pertinent to mention here that in the past, incidents of law and order and snatching of election material have occurred when loadshedding was done during the counting process, and prior to the preparation of results at the polling station,” he noted.

The ECP secretary said in order to ensure a smooth conduct of counting at polling stations as well as to facilitate the voters and the polling staff, it was imperative that the supply of electricity remained available without interruption at all polling stations of Larkana, Qamber-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Naushahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umarkot and Tharparkar districts so that the counting process and preparation of results could be completed without any hindrance.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2022