Cheif Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has ruled out any possibility of communications and internet services outage on the polling day (February 8).
“No proposal for internet shutdown on election day is under consideration,” the CEC said on Thursday following a security meeting of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
As the country undergoes a perilous situation after a recent spike in terrorist attacks, especially on political parties and their election rallies, recently, the top electoral body held a comprehensive meeting over the security arrangements and measures to tackle any untoward situation on the day of polls.
After the meeting, the commission expressed resolve and readiness to stage the polls on time, assuring the nation that the security situation was under its control in the presence of law enforcers and Pakistan Army personnel.
CEC Raja stated that all the necessary arrangements will be made to ensure peaceful conduct of elections on February 8, but dismissed any plans to cut off communications, which has been used as a safety measure.
“There shouldn’t be a doubt about the conduct of polls on February 8,” he stressed.
The election commissioner, while responding to a question, said that ECP’s Election Management System (EMS) will work offline in case of any internet disruption.
Meanwhile, Sindh caretaker Information Minister Ahmed Shah said that there has been no decision on suspending the internet and communication services in the province on February 8.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Shah said that the caretaker government in the province is ready for the election.
Informing the media about security arrangements, the minister said that police and Rangers personnel would be deployed at all polling stations while army personnel would be deployed at sensitive polling stations.
He also warned of action against the government employees who skip their election duties.
