ISLAMABAD: Missing information on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s vote verification service has become a real headache for well over a million voters, eligible to cast their vote through postal ballots, with less than two weeks left to apply for the same.

The election watchdog has fixed January 22 as the last date for receiving applications for postal ballot papers for general elections, but the details of the respective national and provincial assembly constituencies are still not available on its 8300 SMS service.

Applications for the postal ballot are to be made with the returning officer concerned of the constituency, which has not been updated on the service.

The facility, under the law, has been exten­ded to the persons in government service, me­­m­bers of the armed forces, their wives and their children who reside outside their constituency.

Persons with any physical disability, who hold a national identity card with a logo for physical disability, can also vote via postal ballot. Prisoners are also entitled to vote by postal ballot.

Asif Hussain given additional charge as commission’s secretary

The ECP in an attempt to justify the mistake of exposing the flaws in preparations for the gigantic electoral exercise said that the final publication of the list of polling stations is done 15 days before the elections and then voters can find their statistical link code, serial number, family number, provincial and national assembly constituency number, and the name of the polling station.

At present, it pointed out, the constituency-wise preliminary lists of polling stations have been published and voters can submit their objections and suggestions to the respective district returning officer (DRO) by January 11, and the DRO will decide on these objections by Jan 17.

The final publication of the lists of polling stations will be made 15 days before the elections. After publication, details of the voter’s data are provided on 8300 (SMS). It, however, failed to explain what the list of polling stations has to do with those intending to vote by postal ballot.

Those entitled to use the facility of postal ballot are interested in knowing their constituency numbers, which are determined by delimitation of constituencies and have no link with the list of polling stations.

Meanwhile, the ECP assigned the additional charge of its secretary to Dr Syed Asif Hussain, one of the two special secretaries. According to a notification, Dr Asif Hussain has been assigned the additional charge of the secretary, with immediate effect and until further orders.

The ECP chose not to place the notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn, on its website, nor was it shared on a WhatsApp group for media being run by the commission’s media team, raising questions over transparency in the ECP.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2024