ISLAMABAD: The nation is all set to elect its representatives on Thursday for a democratic term of five years, with extensive arrangements put in place by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in coordination with various supporting departments, including law enforcement agencies.
Approximately 18,000 candidates across the country are in the electoral arena to woo the registered voters (128,587,760) for about 855 general seats of National and Provincial Assemblies.
The ECP has announced a public holiday on February 8, in order to provide the voters an opportunity to exercise of right of franchise in a smooth and convenient manner. The Commission has already issued a Code of Conduct for the voters as well for media-persons for the election day.
The polling agents have been advised to display authorization cards. The ECP said that there would be a complete ban on any campaign within the radius of 400 meters of a polling station and added that no candidate, polling agent or their supporters would interfere or hinder the official functioning.
The ECP has categorized over 17,500 as highly sensitive, 32,508 as sensitive and 42,500 as normal, out of a total of 92,500 polling stations nationwide. About 2,038 polling stations in Balochistan and 4,344 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been categorized as highly sensitive.
Likewise, 15,829 polling stations in Punjab, 8,030 in Sindh, 2,068 in Balochistan, and over 6,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are classified as sensitive. The ECP has completed the training of approximately 1.49 million election staff to ensure the smooth execution of the electoral process.
The Commission has established an Election City in its premises, equipped with the latest technology to swiftly disseminate election results of 855 constituencies to the media. A comprehensive strategy has been worked out to receive election results via WhatsApp, email, and fax.
The ECP has also set up an alternative website to ensure uninterrupted dissemination of results in case of any disruptions. The Election Management System (EMS) will operate even if internet connectivity were not available. Satellite communication arrangements have also been made in some areas facing connectivity issues.
Under the EMS, the photo of the Form 45 prepared by the Presiding Officer containing the result of the respective polling station will be swiftly transmitted to the respective Returning Officer for compiling of the results of the constituency on Form-47, which will be forwarded to the ECP and also shared with the media.
In case of connectivity issues, the results will be compiled through off-line modules. The government has deployed over 648,000 security personnel nationwide to ensure the safety of voters, as well as, conduct of fair and transparent polling process.
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