ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) on Wednesday sought the federal capital’s representation in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the pattern of the four provinces.

According to the ECP spokesperson, a delegation of the bar raised the issue during a visit to the commission’s secretariat.

The delegation also observed that the federal capital’s quota should be allocated in terms of jobs so that the deprivation of the people of Islamabad can be remedied.

IHCBA President Syed Wajid Ali Shah led the delegation which included other office bearers of the association.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and other members of the commission welcomed the delegation on their arrival at the secretariat.

On the occasion, the delegation was given a comprehensive briefing on the electoral structure, responsibilities, overall performance and special measures taken by the commission during the last five years.

The delegation was informed that the commission has taken several reformative steps to improve its office performance.

The spokesperson said the delegation of the bar association appreciated the efforts of the ECP and thanked the body for providing the opportunity to meet its officials.

“It was felt that this meeting would lead to increased public awareness and strong links between lawyers and the ECP,” the spokesperson said.

The visitors desired that the bar associations should also be included in voter awareness programmes so that public awareness can be further improved through legal experts. The representatives of the commission also briefed the delegation on the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM).

The delegation was told that in countries where EVMs were being used, such as Brazil and a few other countries, electronic voting was adopted in an evolutionary manner after years of experimental process.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2025