ISLAMABAD: Today is the final day of campaigning for the upcoming general elections on February 8, in accordance with constitutional provisions. Candidates are making last-minute efforts to garner voter support until the stroke of midnight.
Simultaneously, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has successfully distributed 260 million ballot papers to the district returning officers (DROs) for the impending polls. The ECP spokesperson has warned of legal consequences for any breaches of election regulations after the deadline passes.
Emphasizing the necessity of a valid national identity card for voting, the spokesperson clarified that individuals with expired cards can still cast their ballots by presenting the original card to election officials.
The timely completion of this critical task was credited to the dedicated efforts and meticulous planning of the Commission’s staff, who ensured efficient distribution of the ballots through both ground and aerial means, overcoming challenges such as adverse weather conditions.
A total of 700,000 ballot boxes will be deployed across the country, with 552,000 designated for use and 150,000 held in reserve. Each polling booth will feature two ballot boxes, one for the National Assembly and the other for the provincial assembly, with over 276,000 polling booths set up nationwide.
In a separate development, Punjab Police conducted a comprehensive dress rehearsal to ensure a peaceful electoral environment. Security, traffic management, and logistical arrangements were reviewed across all regions and districts, including Lahore, with flag marches conducted to assess readiness.
Furthermore, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) released a report detailing the number of registered voters in various national and provincial assembly constituencies. NA-67 Hafizabad emerged with the highest voter count at 810,723, whereas NA-244 Karachi West 1 reported the lowest at 155,824 registered voters. Similar statistics were provided for constituencies across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan, reflecting the diverse electoral landscape of Pakistan.
