Voters list verification process deadline extended: ECP

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan has announced to continue with its countrywide voters verification process until further orders as the deadline has been extended, Geo News reported.

According to the programme announced by the ECP at the time of display of electoral rolls at more than 55,000 display centres, the last date for verification of votes was set for March 20.

Earlier reports were doing rounds that the deadline might be extended as Supreme Court of Pakistan had directed the Commission to complete the process at the earliest.

The Election Commission (EC) had announced on February 29, to display newly prepared draft electoral rolls at 55,000 display centres countrywide.

The EC had launched the same day, a Short Messaging Service (SMS) for verification of voters details.

Three weeks time was allocated for registration of votes left out during enumeration, correction of errors and submission of objections to give rolls a final shape by May 20.

Millions of Pakistanis checked their votes details through the world's largest SMS service while less rush was seen at the display centres.

According to the EC, very few voters approached the displayed centres due to launch of SMS service.

"Majority of voters have checked their details through SMS, therefore only those are proceeding to the display centres who need to get their addresses corrected," a Commission official said.

However, he added, even if the verification process is closed at display centres on Tuesday, it will continue at District Election Offices.

"The problem will only be that the voters who can now get easily corrected their votes details at display centres, will later have to go to district offices." The official explained that the process of including names to voters lists and corrections and updation continues till the announcement of election schedule.

"Once the election schedule is announced, then this process comes to an end." It is for the first time that the ECP is using state-of-the-art SMS facility to accommodate over 80 million voters in getting first hand information about their votes registration and a subsequent preparation of error free computerized electoral rolls.