UK to provide £3.5 million to support Pakistan Electoral Process
By Sarah Kamal 'Pakistan Times' Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) is to give £3.5 million (US$ 6.74 million) to support the electoral process during the forthcoming general election in Pakistan.

A communiqué, wired to Pakistan’s first ISSN-certified independent daily E-newspaper, ‘Pakistan Times’ by the UNDP on the basis of a statement, issued to media by the British High Commission on Tuesday said that the DFID funding will be divided between three areas.

Firstly, it will contribute to the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) ‘Support to National Elections in Pakistan’ project formulated to enable free, fair and transparent elections.

The primary areas of support in the project include voter registration; training of polling staff and party agents; and voter education.

Secondly, DFID will support the Asia Foundation in providing a network of Pakistani NGOs and civil society organizations with grants to help ensure maximum citizen participation in and oversight of the electoral process.

And finally, DFID funds provide support for a group of international observers to visit Pakistan and offer an objective analysis of the conduct of the elections.

Perspective

DFID’s work in Pakistan is based on Pakistan’s own commitment to the elimination of poverty, the improvement of social services, such as health and education, and the enhanced participation of citizens in government.

Support for the electoral process is a means of helping Pakistan ensure that citizens can participate in decision-making in an effective manner.

Dr Yusaf Samiullah, Head of DFID Pakistan, said “DFID is proud to be able to contribute to these initiatives. The UK believes that people should be involved in the decisions made on their behalf by government, and we are happy to help ensure maximum participation in a good electoral process.”

Appreciating donor commitment to the electoral process, Secretary, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Kanwar Dilshad said, “We welcome coordinated donor support towards the common objective of free, transparent and credible elections.”

Jan Vandemoortele, Resident Representative, UNDP added, “This collaboration between DFID and UNDP will strengthen our long-term partnership and also enable coordinated support for strengthening the electoral process for the next elections in Pakistan.”●