ISLAMABAD, June 17: The European Union’s preparatory team for its Election Observation Mission is here to kick-start the groundwork for the EU monitoring team that would land here ahead of the general elections to be held end of this year.

Initially the mission faced some problems in getting the go- ahead from the government but with the intervention of the Foreign Minister’s Office it was given the green light last week.

The six-member EU team that arrived in Islamabad about four days back has already held meetings at the Election Commission of Pakistan and with senior officials at other relevant government departments, sources told Dawn.

During its two-week mission the team will also travel to Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi.

A senior official referring to the mission as a fact-finding one described it more as an ‘organisational visit’ in the run up to the larger EU Election Observation Mission.

“It is an organisational visit by the EU preparatory team to basically do the groundwork for the EU Observation Mission which will come here as and when the elections take place,” the official said.

The government has repeatedly said it would welcome international monitoring of the forthcoming general elections in Pakistan.

Apparently the top Pakistani leadership has already assured major world capitals including key EU member states that an interim set-up would be put in place to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

Last week it was reported that the Election Commission is set to establish over 50,000 centres across the country to display fresh computerised electoral rolls ahead of the general elections.

Meanwhile, the main political parties including the PPP have been making noises about

the discrepancies in the voter

list and have called for rectifying it.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf has been saying that elections in the country would be held according to the schedule in a fair and transparent manner.

Leading EU member states have been closely following the developments in Pakistan and have been making emphatic calls for amicable settlement of the judicial crisis and holding of free, fair and transparent elections in the country. Last month the President of the European Parliament also a wrote a letter to President Musharraf, conveying concern about the volatile situation in the country following the filing of presidential reference against the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Recently the heads of missions of EU member states and the European Commission also expressed concern over the new restrictions on media through the amended Pemra Ordinance. The envoys noted that they attached great importance to freedom of expression and freedom of media as crucial elements for a successful democratic process.