Prisoners also entitled to vote via postal ballot in by-elections: ECP

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has fixed the last date for receipt of applications for postal ballot papers for By-Election to the National/Provincial Assemblies constituencies as 27th September, 2018.

“The persons who are detained in prison or held in custody are also entitled to vote by postal ballot,” said the ECP.

According to a notification issued by the ECP on Thursday, this facility, under the law, has been extended to the persons in government service, members of armed forces, holders of public offices, their wives and their children who are registered voters and reside with them provided they are stationed at a place other than the place in which their constituency is situated.

The persons with any physical disability who are unable to travel and hold a National Identity Card with logo for physical disability issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) are entitled.

However, the last date in this behalf for such polling personnel and police personnel as are posted at a polling station other than one at which they are entitled to cast their vote, has also been fixed as 27th September 2018.

Persons who are appointed to act as Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers, Polling Officers and the Police Personnel who are assigned duties at the polling stations are advised to apply for postal ballot by the 4th October, 2018 by which time their appointments as polling personnel are expected to have been finalized and the fact of their appointment indicated to them.

The voters to whom postal ballots are issued will not be entitled to vote in person at the polling stations.

The application should be forwarded by the office of the voter concerned to guard against unauthorized person applying for postal ballot.

The 11 constituencies of National Assembly in which the by-elections would be held are including NA-35 Bannu, NA-53 Islamabad, NA-56 Attock, NA-60 Rawalpindi, NA-63 Rawalpindi, NA-65 Chakwal, NA-69 Gujrat, NA-103 Faisalabad, NA-124 Lahore, NA-131 Lahore, NA-243 Karachi.

While the constituencies of provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the by-elections would be held are PK-3 and PK-7 Swat, PK-44 Swabi, PK-53 Mardan, PK-61 and PK- 64 both at Nowshera, PK-78 Peshawar, PK-97 and PK-99 both at DI Khan.

In constituencies of Punjab the by-elections would be contested at PP-3 Attock, PP-27 Jhelum, PP-87 Mianwali, PP-103 Faisalabad, PP-118 Toba Tek Singh, PP-164 and PP-165 Lahore, PP-201 Sahiwal, PP-222 Multan, PP-261 Rahim Yar Khan, PP-272 Muzaffargarh, PP-292 DG Khan, PP-296 Rajanpur.

The By-Election of provincial seats in Sindh would be held only in two constituencies including PS-87 Malir and PS-30 Khairpur while the Balochistan province would have also contest on two provincial seats which included PB-35 Mastung and PB-Khuzdar.