Voters exercised right to vote without any pressure: EC
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan Wednesday upheld that in February 18, 2008 general elections, the voters had exercised their right to vote freely and without any pressure, “Elections were held in a transparent manner and were free of any coercion,” said Secretary Election Commission, Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad, responding to recent observation of the European Union on the fairness of polls.

“Voters expressed their will freely and exercised right to franchise in a cordial and congenial atmosphere and without any pressure,” he said when asked to comment on European Union observations on the polls.

Referring to an earlier observations of the European Union, issued soon after the elections, Dilshad said, the EU had described the polls free and fair.

“It was according to their observation methodology that the European Union Election Observation Mission to Pakistan had described these election of an international standard,” he said.

“The European Union Mission had upheld the fairness and transparency of polls,” he added, rejecting the recent report.

Dilshad said, he was analyzing the report and could not issue a detailed statement at this stage.

“This is my initial comment on the report,” he said, adding, it has also been mentioned in the earlier EU draft report that elections were satisfactory and of international standard.

Dilshad said, the political parties and other stakeholders including the NGOs, CBOs and civil society had accepted the election results upholding transparency of polls.

He said now the government is in place and Pakistan has been included in 1st World Democracy, so there is no reason for raising finger on the conduct of polls and the results.●