Polling only at govt schools and colleges
According to the list, Mirpur is the most polluted city in Pakistan, followed by Lahore, Peshawar and Faisalabad. Photo: File
The polling stations and booths would only be established at government schools and colleges during the upcoming elections for the national and provincial assemblies, according to instructions issued by the chief election commissioner (CEC).
Polling stations would not be established in private schools and colleges during the upcoming elections as was the practice in the past.
The CEC directives also stated that all returning officers (RO) would be recruited from the judiciary.
The upcoming elections were also expected to be elderly-friendly, with the Ministry of Education issuing orders to build polling stations on the ground floor for the ease of casting votes for the elderly and those with physical disabilities.
It issued orders for the construction of ramps in cases where the polling station was located on the upper storey of a building.
The ministry has reportedly released funds of Rs150 million for the immediate completion of the ramps.
A circular issued by the secretary of education to district education officers has issued specific instructions to build polling stations on the ground floor. Special ramps should be constructed for the disabled or elderly if the booth is on an upper floor, it instructed.
It also made it mandatory to provide wheelchairs at every polling station.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 15th, 2023.