Commonwealth experts satisfied with poll process
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ISLAMABAD: Expressing satisfaction at the polling exercise, a team of international observers from the Commonwealth, who arrived in Islamabad to monitor the electoral process, on Thursday played down suspension of mobile cellular services in the country.
During their visit to the Islamabad Model College for Boys F-8/4, in the morning, Commonwealth experts observed that voters had exercised their right to vote without mobile cellular services in the past.
Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the former Nigerian President, who is leading the team of Commonwealth observers group, said that the suspension of mobile cellular services was a government decision.
Later, in a briefing, Dr Goodluck Jonathan said that Pakistan was one of the key member of Commonwealth countries. “Technical experts had been in Pakistan since December, to work with the Election Commission of Pakistan and other stakeholders,” he said. The team of observes, comprising retired bureaucrats, judges and representatives of electoral bodies, met various stakeholders including journalists and members of civil society.
The observers were deployed in various cities to check arrangements and interact with polling staff and take note of complaints for a comprehensive report about the poll process.
Giving details of visits the team made in Islamabad, Dr Goodluck Jonathan expressed satisfaction at the level of security arrangements at the polling stations.
“So far no significant incident of violence was reported,” he said, The team will issue a comprehensive report on the electoral process on Saturday, he said.
Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2024
Jamal Shahid is an Islamabad-based reporter for Dawn with over two decades of experience. He covers the Public Accounts Committee and the National Assembly’s Question Hour, as well as diplomatic events, climate change, and human rights issues in the capital.
