The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday refuted a news report that was “replete with inaccuracies and false information, incorrectly” suggesting that 13 million people won’t be able to vote in the next general elections.
ECP spokesperson, in a statement, said that the news report featured in Friday’s edition of a renowned daily newspaper is “saturated with inaccuracies and misinformation”.
The spokesperson clarified that voters’ registration was based on their permanent or current address as per their computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), and this process has no connection to population statistics.
“A census requires a person’s physical presence, whereas, voter registration is based on the address specified on the CNIC with no connection to population statistics,” he said.
Additionally, the election commission has lifted the freeze on electoral rolls, effective from September 28, ensuring the registration of all eligible individuals.
This freeze had been in place since July 20, 2017, under the provisions of Section 39 of the Elections Act, 2017.
He mentioned that the election commission was consistently raising public awareness regarding voter registration, exclusions, and accuracy through daily media campaigns, and this will continue until October 25, 2023.
Additionally, the election commission has acquired data for over 800,000 individuals who were issued CNICs by NADRA on October 1, 2023.
Data entry is currently underway, guaranteeing that all these eligible citizens can participate in the upcoming general elections and cast their respective votes, the spokesperson said.
Furthermore, the election commission has fixed October 25, 2023, as the final date for voter registration, exclusions, and verifications.
Consequently, individuals who would obtain their CNICs by October 25, 2023, can be confident about their eligibility to get their respective votes registered.
He mentioned that the election commission was fully conscious of its constitutional and legal obligations, as well as the rights of the voters.
