With the imminent February 8 general elections on the horizon, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday successfully concluded preparations for the release of general election results.
Over 859 returning officers from various regions across the country will be equipped with mobile internet devices, establishing a link with the Election Management System (EMS).
The comprehensive plan involves providing internet-enabled devices to returning officers, ensuring seamless connectivity to the EMS system.
As part of their responsibilities, returning officers are mandated to transmit constituency results to the ECP through the EMS system. Presiding officers, in turn, will use mobile data to send polling station results to the designated returning officers through the EMS.
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Efforts will be made to guarantee mobile data availability for presiding officers, facilitating uninterrupted internet connectivity.
However, in cases where mobile data is unavailable, presiding officers are instructed to personally convey the polling station results to the returning officers.
A strict timeline has been established, with presiding officers obligated to dispatch results to the returning officers by 2:00 PM on the polling day or by 10:00 AM on the following day.
Emergency meeting for ballot papers
Meanwhile, sources reveal that the ECP has convened an emergency meeting to address the pressing issue of reprinting ballot papers in specific constituencies.
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The Managing Directors (MDs) of the nation's three prominent presses have been summoned to participate in the meeting, shedding light on the complexity of the situation.
Despite the completion of the overall ballot paper printing process for the upcoming elections, the need for reprinting has arisen in certain constituencies.
The unexpected development poses a challenge due to the requirement for special security paper, both in terms of its timely availability and the ability to complete printing within the designated timeframe.
Notably, the 2018 general elections used 800 tons of special security paper for ballot printing, a figure that has surged to 2170 tonnes in 2024 due to a higher number of candidates in the current electoral landscape.
The sources said that the commission now grapples with the formidable task of ensuring the availability and printing of special security paper for the targeted constituencies.
It has decided to condition the printing of ballot papers in these constituencies upon the remaining availability of special security paper after completing the printing for all constituencies.
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