Spokesman says printing of 250m ballot papers underway n Electoral symbols to 150 political parties allocated for general elections n All political parties bound to hold intra-party elections.
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE - The Election Commission of Pakistan Monday dismissed the proposal to postpone the general elections, emphasising that established polling date of February 8 was mutually determined with the President of Pakistan.
According to officials, in a letter addressed to the Joint Secretary Legislation of the Senate, the ECP conveyed that it would not be prudent to postpone the general elections at this stage. It said additionally, the resolution of the upper house of Parliament cannot be currently implemented.
The letter stated that the Election Commission of Pakistan has already directed caretaker government to ensure law and order during elections. This includes enhancing the security framework to create a favorable environment for peaceful and credible conduct of the 2024 general elections.
The letter further said that the ECP has made a commitment before the Supreme Court to conduct general elections. Spokesperson Syed Nadeem Haider says the Election Commission of Pakistan has completed all preparations to hold polling for the national and provincial assemblies on the eighth of next month.
He also urged the general public to exercise their right to vote on polling day. The spokesperson mentioned that election symbols had been allocated to the contesting candidates, and the ECP is set to start the printing of ballot papers.
Syed Nadeem Haider also stated that Monitoring Cells have been set up at the provincial level as well as at the ECP Secretariat in Islamabad to ensure the implementation of the election Code of Conduct.
The ECP tasked the Printing Corporation of Pakistan on Monday with producing 250 million watermarked ballot papers for the February 8 polls. According to sources, the ECP sanctioned the printing of ballot papers for the upcoming general elections during its meeting.
Distinctive watermarks will adorn the ballot papers, which are set to be printed using three different machines. Rigorous security protocols have been ensured for the Printing Corporation premises during the ballot paper production.
The use of watermarked ballot papers was initiated in the country during the 2018 general elections, marking a significant milestone. Three printing machines will be utilised for this task, such as the Security Printing Corporation, the Pakistan Postal Foundation, and the Printing Corporation of Pakistan sharing the workload.
Security is tightened, considering potential army deployment inside and outside printing facilities. The decision focuses on ensuring the integrity and security of the electoral process, with a detailed plan for secure transportation from printing machines to designated officials.
‘ELECTORAL SYMBOLS’
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) allotted electoral symbols to around 150 political parties competing for seats in the upcoming general elections for both the National and provincial assemblies.
According to the list uploaded on ECP’s website, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) received the ‘tiger’ symbol, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPP) the ‘arrow,’ Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) the ‘sword,’ Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-Nazriati (PTI-N) the ‘batsman,’ Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) the ‘eagle,’ Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) the ‘kite,’ Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) the ‘book,’ Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JI) the ‘scale,’ Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) the ‘turban,’ Balochistan National Party (BNP) the ‘axe,’ Awami National Party (ANP) the ‘lantern,’ Balochistan National Party Awami the ‘camel,’ and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) the ‘cow.
The Upper House of parliament last week had passed a resolution adopting a stance that the general polls should be delayed. Independent Senator Dilawar Khan, the mover of the resolution with thin presence of lawmakers, had argued that the Constitution upheld the right to vote for every citizen of Pakistan to vote in the polls. Khan said the Election Commission of Pakistan was bound to conduct free and fair polls contingent upon inclusivity and ensuring the participation of all regional people. Expressing concerns on the recent attempts on the lives of JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman and former lawmaker Mohsin Dawar asked for delay in the polls. The resolution also drew attention towards the unsuitability of weather conditions for election campaigns in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, proposing postponement of the February 8 elections in these regions. Reacting to this resolution, the Commission replied to a letter from the secretary of the Cabinet Division citing a Senate resolution to delay polls for some time. The electoral watchdog completely rejected the position mentioned in the resolution of the Senate and announced elections have been held in winter in the past too.