Accurate election reporting to enhance awareness on disputes, says Dilshad
By Adnan Rafique

ISLAMABAD--Secretary Election Commission, Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad Friday said accurate reporting will further enhance the public's understanding of post election disputes resolution process including the important role of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
He was addressing the IFES media workshop organized to educate media and to improve reporting of post-election dispute resolution and specifically the work of Election Tribunals. Dilshad said in accordance with European Union election observation methodology, the European Union Election Observation Mission to Pakistan assessed that the conduct of the National and Provincial assemblies elections was in line with international standards for elections.
"Election enables people to manage national institutions through their representatives and put huge responsibility and immense pressure on Election Commission Officials," he said. He said transparent rules and regulations and their implementation through sound professionalism is imperative to achieve the desired goal of a truly elected representative government.
He said the election Commission has once again fulfilled its constitutional responsibility by organizing elections in a fair and transparent manner."The February 18th Elections are critical step in Pakistan's progress toward democratization. The political Parties and the International Observers accepted the results and found them credible. These elections have laid a foundation for the true and strong democracy for this country," he said.
He said elections met the basic threshold of credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of the Pakistan people as the Election Commission has firm belief that electoral process is the soul of democracy. "If the electoral process is distorted, the democratic polity is endangered. The electoral process and the democratic process are interlinked and interdependent," he said.
Therefore, he added, all conceivable steps were taken and measures adopted to ensure that the electoral activities are completed with neutrality, impartiality, objectively and independence at every stage of the process. Election commission observed transparency in implementation of rules and regulations, guarding democratic and legal rights of all stakeholders, electoral monitoring by facilitating international and national observer groups and free access of media to all the election related material and information, he added.
The Secretary said, Election Commission officials worked impartially without any political or personal affiliation focusing on only one objective - implementation of rules and regulations in a transparent manner leading to election of people's representative. "Election Commission of Pakistan is committed to this very basic principal and will keep guarding people's electoral rights as enshrined in the Constitution and Law," Dilshad said.
He said the Commission with the assistance of UNDP and USAID used modern electoral commodities and adopted internationally practiced techniques for the conduct of polls and all major stakeholders appreciated the positive steps of ECP. Dilshad also mentioned to various provisions of law to resolve the post election disputes including submission of complaints and powers designated to tribunals and the Chief Election Commissioner as well as mechanism to dispose of these complaints.
He expressed confidence that the workshop will greatly improve all participants understanding of the Election Tribunal Process and disposal of complaints. Meanwhile, Election Commission of Pakistan Friday appointed District Returning Officers (DROs), Returning Officers (ROs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) for the elections in eight provincial assembly constituencies in Punjab and NWFP.According to the Election Commission notification, these Officers will conduct the elections in PP-70 (Faisalabad), PP-99 (Gujranwala), PP-141 (Lahore), PP-154 (Lahore), PP-171 (Nankana Sahib), PF-59 (Battagram), PF-81 (Swat) and PF-92 (Upper Dir) constituencies of these two provinces.