YouTube
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday announced the training of nearly one million election staff will be completed a week before the Feb. 8 general elections.
In a statement, the electoral body said it had commenced training of 985,913 staff, to be deployed for elections duty, in the last week of November 2023. Thus far, it said, necessary training was complete for 579,191 staff—comprising district returning officers, returning officers, presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and other staff—while the remaining 406,222 would be fully trained by Feb. 1.
According to the ECP, strict disciplinary action was being taken against any staff absent from the training program. It emphasized all government employees assigned poll duties have been directed to ensure their attendance at the training sessions.
Additionally, read the statement, a Central Control Room tasked with redressing complaints has been fully functioning since Dec. 26, 2023. Thus far, it said, 45 complaints were received and had all been resolved. Another 165 complaints received in the CCR set up in the Election Commission Secretariat were also immediately acted upon and redressed.
Overall, said the electoral body, 80 control rooms were active at provincial, divisional and district levels to assist the Central Control Room in monitoring all election-related matters and promptly redress complaints. Similarly, it said, monitoring teams deployed in all districts of the country were also activated, which were engaged in removing on a daily basis all publicity materials displayed by candidates in violation of the code of conduct.
The ECP said notices were being issued by district monitoring officers for other violations of the code of conduct, which would be addressed according to the law after inquiries.