Election observer mission: UK does not believe violence will delay polls

British High Commissioner announces 25-member UK election observer mission in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD: Britain on Wednesday announced its election observer mission for the upcoming elections on May 11 in Pakistan.

British High Commissioner Adam Thomson, announcing the 25-member UK mission in Islamabad, said, “Credible and acceptable elections on May 11 are of tremendous importance not only for Pakistan but also for United Kingdom.”

The main objective of the mission is to observe the entire electoral process and to complement the efforts of the European Union’s election observers.

The European Union launched its mission to observe the elections on April 8, becoming the first of the international observers to arrive in Pakistan. However, the 110 member EU observer mission voiced their exception to monitor polls in Balochistan and the northwest tribal zone due to security concerns.

Thomson said, "Elections 2013 are the clearest opportunity Pakistan has to consolidate and deepen its democracy."

The commissioner expressed concern over the recent spate of pre-poll violence and condemned the incidents. "UK believes that the violence must not, definitely will not derail these election process or reduce their credibility, and even contemplate delaying in the election."

"We do not believe, it (violence) will not be contemplated because for Pakistan delaying elections in the face of terrorist activities, we are very clear that their aim is to destroy democracy in this country and it will be victory for handful terrorists and it will be difficult to hold elections in future."

The British diplomat guaranteed that the UK observers will adhere to Pakistani laws and comply with the code of conduct for observers as issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The ECP on March 8 issued an official code of conduct for all international observers, polling staff and security personnel present during the general polls.