ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced plans to establish over 92,500 polling stations nationwide for the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8.
The official polling scheme, detailing the locations and arrangements, is set to be released 15 days before the election day.
The distribution of polling stations is as follows:
- Punjab: 51,821 polling stations across 438 national and provincial constituencies.
- Sindh: 19,236 polling stations for its 191 seats.
- Balochistan: 5,015 polling stations for the election of 66 seats.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 15,737 polling stations for the 160 seats.
- Islamabad: 990 polling stations for three constituencies.
In preparation for the elections, the Election Commission has established Election Monitoring and Control Centers (EMCC) at provincial, divisional, and district levels, including in Islamabad.
These centers aim to efficiently register and address public complaints related to the electoral process. Trained personnel are deployed at the EMCCs to handle complaints swiftly, maintaining communication with relevant stakeholders, including Returning Officers and District Returning Officers.
Individuals can submit complaints related to the general elections by emailing complaints to complaints@ecp.gov.pk.
PML-N Senator Warns Against Mass Rejection of PTI Candidates’ Papers, Deems It Detrimental to Democracy
Meanwhile, in the Senate, as lawmakers from Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam–Fazl (JUI-F) appeared to advocate for the last-minute postponement of general elections, a PML-N senator, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, surprised many by asserting that the mass rejection of nomination papers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) candidates was detrimental to democracy.
Senator Sayed emphasized that weakening political parties would undermine the federation and urged against repeating mistakes from past elections, specifically referring to the manipulated 2018 elections influenced by intelligence and security agencies.
Sayed criticized the practice of enforced disappearances, stating that it was unacceptable, emphasizing the importance of human rights and democracy ingrained in the Pakistani DNA.
He stressed the need for the rule of law to prevail, suggesting that those accused of crimes should be charged, brought before a court of law, and tried accordingly.
Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri of JUI-F highlighted the necessity of peace as a prerequisite for elections and expressed concern about the deteriorating law and order situation, citing a recent armed attack on Maulana Fazalur Rahman’s convoy in D.I. Khan.
