ECP forms poll monitoring wing

CEC to head the wing overseeing the whole electoral process

PESHAWAR: A monitoring wing has been formed under the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to monitor the whole electoral process, Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan said on Thursday.

Speaking to a delegation of elections commission officers from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) at the Services Club here, the CEC said he would himself head the monitoring wing to be working under the ECP. He added that the commission’s provincial chiefs would oversee the wing’s functioning in provinces.

“The purpose of the wing is to ensure free and fair elections,” he said.



According to the CEC, the monitoring wing will oversee the whole process of election, including pre-poll, poll day and post-poll activities. It will also work to find out any irregularities and illegal practices used in election such as huge spending by candidate and violation of laws during the election process.

Referring to the training of the ECP staff, Raza said a federal election academy had been set up where all ECP staff would undergo a six-month-long training. He urged the federal government to immediately increase the salaries of all ECP staff, bringing them on a par with other government departments.

“We are striving to provide better facilities [to the staff] including plots, heavy vehicles, new offices, timely promotions and trainings,” he said.

Women’s voting

ECP General Secretary Babar Yaqoob, briefing media-persons later, said that efforts would be made to enlist all women voters.



He said only 12 per cent women voted in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa “which is low”. He urged all 18 political parties, having presence in the National Assembly, to play an active role in persuading women to cast their vote in greater numbers.

The official said if women votes were found to be less than 10 per cent of the total polled votes, “the election will be declared null and void, even if women are stopped under an agreement”.

Across the country, nearly 10.1 million women were not registered as voters, he informed the newsmen. Appreciating the provincial government’s efforts, he said even members of the civil society are making an effort to register their names on the voting list.

Biometric system

Yaqoob said neither the biometric system nor the electronic coding machines would be used in the 2018 elections due to the huge resources required. He, however, pointed out that modern technology was used in the Haripur by-election.

 Buying biometric machine for 300,000 polling booths is a huge exercise and requires extensive training, according to him.

Calling the overseas voting “very complicated”, he said seven million expatriate Pakistanis were scattered in too many countries. “We are working on the option of internet voting,” he said.

The official said that ECP had urged the federal government to set aside Rs10 billion to Rs 15 billion for the election process.

Delimitation, he said, would take at least seven months, adding that they were waiting for census data. “We are ready for all contingencies… we can conduct elections in any emergency situation within the timeframe stipulated by the Constitution.”