ISLAMABAD, Sept 6: A group of long-term observers from 13 European states arrived in Pakistan on Friday as part of the European Union Election Observation Mission.

The group will supplement the ongoing work of a team of Islamabad-based experts, who have been in the country for a month.

A press release issued here in this regard said the observers would be deployed in groups of two-to-four persons at Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Quetta, Peshawar and Islamabad.

The mission will observe the entire electoral process, including preparations for the elections, the parties’ campaigns, polling-day activities, counting procedures and the aggregation of results.

The mission’s chief observer is European parliamentarian Johan Cushahan, who has just returned to Pakistan after a brief visit to Europe.

Speaking on the arrival of the long-term observers, Mr Cushahan said: “The increase in the mission’s members will allow us to step up our work of observing the election process throughout the country.

The observers will meticulously adhere to the mission’s mandate to observe Pakistan’s general elections on the basis of established international criteria.”

“The observers selected have collective experience of missions in Latin America, Africa, the Balkans and Asia, and I am confident that they will discharge their duties with the utmost professionalism,” the chief observer said.

The European Union’s Election Observation Mission to Pakistan is an independent and impartial team that arrived in the country on August 4, 2002, he said.

Within days of the elections, the EU mission will send a preliminary report of its findings to European Union headquarters, followed by a final report.

The mission will be guided by a seven-point criterion in reaching conclusions on the election process. These points are degree of impartiality shown by the relevant election commission and election officials; the degree of freedom of political parties and candidates to organize, move, assemble and express their views publicly; the fairness of access to state resources made available for the election; the fairness of access for political parties and candidates to the media, in particular the state media; the manner in which registration of voters is conducted; any other issue concerning the essential freedom and fairness of the election; the conduct of polling and counting of votes.