ISLAMABAD, Nov 6: UK Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Baroness Sayeeda Warsi on Tuesday said that the upcoming elections would be a milestone in Pakistan's democratic history.
“A strong, stable, constitutional democracy and a legitimate transfer of power in the upcoming elections are firmly in Pakistan's interests,” she said during her visit to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) here on Tuesday.
Baroness Warsi and the ECP secretary, Ishtiak Ahmad Khan, discussed the upcoming elections in Pakistan and cooperation between the two countries in promoting democratic norms and stability in the country.
She acknowledged and appreciated the endeavors of the ECP for ensuring credible, honest and transparent elections.
Ishtiak Ahmad Khan briefed the baroness, Sayeeda Warsi, about the arrangements made by the commission to eliminate errors and margins for manipulations in the elections.
He said that presiding officers would be provided copies of electoral rolls with photo and a column for thumb impression of voters with magnetised ink which will help eliminate chances of impersonation in the polls, he added.
Mr Khan said that an exercise was in process for declaring government buildings as permanent polling stations and there would be no change of polling stations at the eleventh hour.
“The list of these polling stations would be published after consultation with stakeholders well before polling day and would also be placed at the website of the ECP,” he added.
The secretary informed the baroness that ECP had had meetings with political parties who expressed trust in the Election Commission for ensuring credible elections and smooth transfer of power in country.
“Various codes of conduct have been prepared for political parties, contesting candidates, media, observers and security personnel and it will be implemented in letter and spirit,” the secretary said.
Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said that all the stakeholders including political parties, civil societies, and media, etc., were being consulted and kept on board on electoral reforms and decisions of the ECP.
The secretary highlighted the preparation of error-free and credible Electoral Rolls-2012 published on May 31, 2012 and said every CNIC holder had been enrolled as voter.
The number of voters on the Electoral Rolls-2012 is now 84 million while one million citizens have been issued CNIC after May 31, 2012 and they are being enrolled after verification by the registration officers of ECP.
To improve and streamline the election process, a comprehensive voter education programme has been devised to increase the turnout and in this regard, Voters’ day was observed on October 17, 2012 for the first time in the history of Pakistan and this day would be observed every year in future as well.
“For the first time, ballot papers will be prepared bearing special security features and on specially manufactured non-market paper so that copy of the ballot papers by any quarter can be prevented,” Mr Khan said.
Sayeeda Warsi was also shown the procedure of CNIC issuance by Nadra to every Pakistani attaining the age of 18. She was told that almost 1,000 mobile vans besides hundreds of officers were doing registration of citizens in Pakistan.