"There are multiple issues to be sorted out before the general election, such as providing legal cover to the existing election code of conduct and correction of voter lists," he added. Dar said this while briefing the media after the committee meeting, here at Nadra's Headquarters. The meeting, which was presided over by Dar, was attended by Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hassani, Senator Islamuddin Shaikh, Senator Shahi Syed, Secretary ECP Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan, Chairman Nadar Tariq Malik and other senior officials.
He further said that the Senate's Special Committee would also recommend amendments in the election laws as well as in the Constitution, if needed. "Legal backing for the election's code of conduct is mandatory for its strict implementation," he added. Dar said that the committee had also discussed detaching Nadra from Ministry of Interior and attaching it to ECP or cabinet. The committee would make recommendations in this regard to ensure preparation of transparent voter lists, he added.
"There are irregularities in the present voter lists, therefore without correcting it, it would be wrong to say that preparation for the upcoming election has completed," he said. He said that the committee also reviewed and discussed the CNIC holders, who had issues pertaining to permanent and current address.
Dar said that about 30 million voters had been included in the list on the old National Identity Cards and most of them were female. "These NIC's have not been linked to the biometric system as well as these are without picture," he added. Tarik Malik said that Nadra had registered over 92.9 million Pakistanis and issued them Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) since 2002.
He said the authority was enabling and facilitating citizens' enfranchisement through various measures and initiatives. Currently there were 486 National Registration Centres, 254 Mobile Registration Vans (MRVs) and 70 Manpacks and Motorcycle Units reaching out to the remotest parts of the country, he added.
He said that Nadra assisted the ECP in preparation of the Draft, Preliminary and Final Electoral Rolls by verifying over 80 million CNICs, digitising over 17.1 million forms, printing 15.1 million pages during the various stages of the voter lists and augmenting 3.6 million additional votes in the ECP data. Over 10 million people have already verified their names through this service making this the largest SMS-based vote verification in the world, he said.
He clarified that out of 4.8 million voters, 92.5 percent were registered according to their current/permanent addresses; 3 percent opted to get registered on permanent addresses, 3.5 percent on current addresses and one percent opted to get registered on a third address.