The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared that starting from the upcoming Monday, the SMS service 8300 will be provided free of charge. This significant announcement was delivered by ECP’s spokesperson, Syed Nadeem Hyder, along with Additional Director General Nighat Sadique and the Project Director of the Project Management Unit.
In terms of functionality, voters can now check details related to their constituencies and polling stations by simply sending their computerized identity card numbers to 8300. Importantly, ECP officials have underscored that voters must bring their Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) to the polling station for the voting process. It has also been clarified that a vote can be cast even if the CNIC is expired, or by utilizing the token issued for the issuance of a new CNIC.
Nighat Sadique, the Additional Director General of ECP, highlighted the substantial involvement of international observers who have been invited to monitor the elections.
Furthermore, ECP’s spokesperson, Syed Nadeem Hyder, pointed out that the Election Act specifies a time limit for the completion of election results. Presiding officers are obligated to transmit the election results to the Election Commission by 2 am. In the case of any delay, the returning officer will conduct an inquiry into the cause of the delay and submit a detailed report to the Election Commission. Hyder emphasized the critical importance of finalizing the election results by 10 am on the following day to adhere to the stipulations of the Election Act.
