DERA GHAZI KHAN, Feb 1: Computerized voters’ list based on National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) data would be prepared for next general and local body elections, local Election Commission sources told Dawn on Wednesday.

They said directions to initiate the process of preparation of new electoral rolls had been received from the higher authorities. The existing electoral rolls, one for general elections and the other for local body elections, would be destroyed, they added.

Earlier, electoral rolls were prepared in 1995. The government introduced Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC) and started preparing lists based on the Nadra data. However, many people could not get CNIC and could not be enrolled in the new list.

The government used the voters list prepared in 1995 and year 2000 for general and local body election which created confusion. As a large number of people could not get CNIC, they were not included in the list prepared in 2000. Due to this confusion, around 100,000 voters listed in the 1995 rolls could not cast vote in the local body election held last year because their names were not included in the list prepared in 2000.

Sources said the authorities have decided to prepare a single computerized electoral role based on CNIC.

At present, there are one million registered voters in Dera Ghazi Khan while new list will have 1.8 million voters.