ECP issues guidelines for elections

Plan includes delivering staff, material to polling stations and then bringing them back to ROs offices safely

RAWALPINDI:

For the peaceful and transparent conduct of general elections 2024, the Election Commission of Pakistan has issued guidelines to ensure security and transport for the polling staff and election material in reaching the polling stations and then returning safely back to the offices of the returning officers after polling.

The ECP has also issued orders for the completion of all arrangements five days before the election day scheduled for Feb 8.

The electoral body also hinted at taking disciplinary action under Section 55 of the Elections Act, 2017 against the staff who would be absent or show negligence during security duty.

Starting the work on the ECP guidelines in Rawalpindi, the Regional Transport Authority has completed 80% of the work of providing transport for election duty.

Read more: PTI will not boycott elections ‘under any circumstances’: Gohar

A letter containing guidelines was sent to the officials of Punjab and district returning officers and returning officers across the country, including Punjab chief secretary, interior secretary, inspector general of police as well as Islamabad and all provincial authorities under the title of Transportation Plan.

According to the plan, it is said that for the peaceful, transparent, and smooth conduct of the general elections 2024, a detailed transportation and security plan has been prepared according to the guidelines given to deliver the polling staff and material to the polling stations and to return the material and staff safely at the end of the polling.

It has been directed in the guidelines that committees headed by each district returning officer and comprising the district election commissioner, deputy commissioner or deputy commissioner's designated officer and the concerned returning officer check for movement and requirement of vehicle for transportation of polling staff and electoral materials from before the polling day to the end.

For this purpose, preferably one vehicle may be hired for one polling station.

Similarly, the guidelines state that if more than one polling station is established in one building to ensure the facility of the polling station, information about the result, adequate security of the staff, then the presiding officers and senior assistant presiding officers of such polling stations could be adjusted in one vehicle.

Similarly, multiple polling stations can be linked together to transport polling staff/polling materials if the vehicle breaks down.

In the same way, it has been said that appropriate security personnel should also be appointed for each polling station, and if the security personnel are not appointed or if not present, the presiding officers shall immediately inform the returning officer, in which case disciplinary action may be taken against the negligent personnel under Section 55 of the Elections Act, 2017.

Similarly, the polling staff will be sent separately to the point of duty.

Likewise, the returning officer has been required to keep the record of the registration number of the vehicle hired for transporting the polling staff and material, the details of drivers, and mobile phone numbers while the presiding officer will keep the complete information and mobile phone numbers of the security staff.

The guidelines further state that while renting transport for election duty, it should be ensured that the transport is fully fit and meets the capacity requirement.

On behalf of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, Islamabad Election Commission Deputy Director Coordination Muhammad Nasir Khan has issued strict instructions regarding the guidelines that the transportation and security plan should be finalised at least five days in advance. And it should be shared with the provincial election commissioner who should also submit it to the Central Control Room, Secretariat of the ECP.