Chief Election Commissioner assures smooth and fair polls on February 8

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja held an informal conversation with journalists on Thursday, where he briefed them about the preparations for the upcoming elections, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

He said that a very successful and important meeting was held today with the Chief Secretaries and IGs of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who assured him of peace and security on the polling day.

He said that there is no doubt that the elections will be held on February 8 and will be held across the country.

The CEC also said that a comprehensive briefing was given regarding the security arrangements and the availability of ballot papers. He said that the Election Commission had bought 2200 tonnes of ballot paper, but the demand was 2400 tonnes, so the size of the ballot papers had been reduced to manage the paper shortage.

He clarified that reducing the size of the ballot paper will not make any difference in the voting process, as the corresponding box where the stamp is to be made will not be too small for the seal.

The CEC also addressed the concerns raised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) about the level playing field for all political parties.

He said that PTI had not submitted any application to the Election Commission despite the Supreme Court's order to do so.

He said that PTI could only give just three names whose nomination papers were taken away.

He asserted that all political parties are equal to him and he is satisfied with the performance of the four provincial election commissioners.

Reporter: Usman Khan