ISLAMABAD, Aug 3: Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim has assured Transparency International Pakistan that his commission will give serious thought to the TIP proposals to bring reforms in the electoral process.

During a meeting with a delegation of the TIP here on Friday, Justice (retd) Ebrahim said the commission would also consider installing webcams in polling booths to better monitor the voting process.

However, he asked how much would such a system cost and how would the project be financed.

On the question of the paperless direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines, the chief election commissioner said he would consider installing them at some selected booths. He agreed with the suggestion that military personnel should be deployed both inside and outside the polling stations to control the law and order situation.

Justice (retd) Ebrahim told the TIP delegation that his only wish was to hold free and transparent elections and urged the civil society organisations, particularly the media companies, to play their role in this regard.

The TIP chairman, Sohail Muzaffar, assured Mr Ebrahim that he and his team were ready to help the ECP hold free and impartial elections and would consult experts to work out the cost of the webcam system proposed to be installed in the polling booths.

The other members of the TIP delegation were its executive director Saad Rashid and adviser Syed Adil Gilani.

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