Pakistan: Printing of ballot papers general elections to be completed by Friday, says election commission

Election campaigning is in full swing, and Pakistan’s election authorities have stated that the printing of ballots for the general elections on February 8 will be finished by Friday, according to a media report on Tuesday. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that ballots are being delivered simultaneously in all four provinces with the assistance of security personnel, as the printing of ballots will be finished by February 2. The News International reported that the printing of ballots, which is being done in three government presses, is proceeding satisfactorily. “The printing work, which started on January 16 after the allotment of election symbols by returning officers (ROs), will be completed in the next four days, i.e. by February 2,” an ECP spokesman told the media. At the same time, he said, ballot papers for the four provinces are being delivered by road and air with the assistance of security agencies, ROs, and district administrations. The spokesman also mentioned that, as of January 29, voters can receive information about their polling place and other things by texting 8300 with their identity card number. Every voter has been asked to receive information about their vote and their family’s vote on time to avoid any issues at the polls. Meanwhile, 970,000 of the 976,000 poll workers that were needed have had their training completed by the commission thus far, making up 96% of the entire required workforce. In the next four days, the remaining 6,000 poll workers will finish their training. In a separate development, the commission promptly requested a report from the district monitoring officer of Kohistan Upper after learning through some media outlets that a faction of Ulemas in Kohistan had purportedly issued a fatwa prohibiting women from participating in political campaigns. In his report, the official made it clear that the news was inaccurate and that this was the product of misunderstanding. The commission would take action under Section 9 of the Elections Act and the polling process in the constituency could be declared void if a woman was prevented from campaigning or voting in the relevant constituency during the upcoming elections, the spokesman said. The ECP is aware of reports of altercations and gunshots between two political parties in Karachi about flag hoisting and postal ballot stealing in the Swabi district. In order to take appropriate legal action against the parties responsible for these instances in accordance with election regulations, the commission has requested reports from the chief secretary and the concerned police chief.