ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: The Election Commission has made it clear that holders of old national identity cards (NICs) will be eligible to cast vote in the general election.

EC Secretary Kanwar Dilshad told Dawn that under the law producing either the computerised or the old NIC was mandatory for voting.

He said driving licence, passport, domicile or any other document would not be accepted because production of the NIC was compulsory under Section 33 of the Representation of People Act, 1976.

The law describing the voting procedure reads: “Where an elector presents himself at the polling station to vote, the presiding officer shall issue a ballot paper to the elector after satisfying himself about the identity of the elector and shall, for that purpose, require the elector to produce his identity card provided for in the National Registration Act, 1973 or issued under the National Database and Registration Authority Ordinance, 2002”.