ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday launched "Lead Trainers" exercise to enable its 46 officers to further train the electoral staff for local government elections in the Punjab. Under this exercise, 20 ECP officers would receive professional training, a statement from the ECP said.
These officers would further train district returning officers and returning officers to be appointed to hold LG elections in the Punjab, the statement added.
In the second phase, 26 ECP officers would receive "Lead Trainers" training, who would train "Master Trainers", and these "Master Trainers" would train presiding officers, assistant presiding officers, assistant presiding officers, and polling officers for the LG polls in the Punjab, it said, adding that the training would continue at the Federal Election Academy till October 3rd, 2020.
In line with its LG elections preparations in the Punjab, the ECP on September 18, 2020, revised the date for publication of preliminary list of delimited constituencies in the Punjab, which was to be done on September 18th, and extended this date for another 15 days, but did not fix a specific date for this purpose.
The decision was taken on the request of the Punjab government, on the grounds that the provincial cabinet needed to accord approval for naming the village, punchayat and neighbourhood councils, the ECP statement said, adding that the Commission extended the said date from September 18th for another 15 days.
On August 18th, 2020, the ECP revised the date for publication of preliminary list of delimited constituencies, for inviting representations and objections, from August 21st to September 18th, 2020.
The decision, the ECP said then, was taken in the backdrop of inclusion of certain rural areas into urban areas by the Punjab government. On August 5, 2020, the ECP said, it asked the Punjab government, in the light of Section 27 of Punjab Village, Punchayat and Neighbourhood Councils Act 2019, to suggest a date for holding of the LG elections, and whether the provincial government wanted the elections in one-day or in a phase-wise manner.
The provincial government had sought time, and informed the Commission that it would share with ECP a "comprehensive set of recommendations" on LG elections in the Punjab, in the next few days.
However, till date, neither the ECP nor the Punjab government has come up with any date for holding the LG polls in Pakistan's largest province.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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