The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finally given go ahead to the foreign office to start sending invitations to international observers for the general elections that are due early next year. The decision to formally invite foreign observers was taken at an Inter-Ministerial meeting held at Election Commission Secretariat here on Monday. Special Secretary Dr Syed Asif Hussain, Zafar Iqbal Hussain and other senior officers attended the meeting. Senior officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Federal Board of Revenue and other related institutions were also in attendance. Apart from this, the joint election commissioners of the four provinces, who were appointed as focal persons regarding the observers, also participated in this meeting. As per the official handout, the secretary election commission said the ECP had decided that international observers from all over the world will be welcomed in Pakistan under the “Open Door” policy. “They will be given access to the electoral process,” read the statement. The ECP directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately invite all international observers to come as observers in the elections. The foreign office was asked to complete the process within a week. Also read: EU against ‘third force’ influencing polls The meeting also directed the foreign office to make sure interested foreign observers get the visa within a week and there shouldn’t be any hindrance in this regard. The ECP secretary issued instructions to the Ministry of Interior and other institutions to ensure the security of all international observers and to complete all security related matters within two weeks. The Federal Board of Revenue was directed that international observers, including representatives of the media, declare all equipment, cameras and other essential goods exempt from customs duty and ensure all possible support to them. In this regard, an action committee will be formed in next 15 days. Earlier, there was uncertainty surrounding whether Pakistan would invite foreign observers this time as the European Union (EU) decided not to send an observer mission due to non-invitation from Islamabad. The commission later clarified that it always sent invitations closer to the election date. However, the EU this time would send an expert mission instead of an observer mission. Expert mission comprises only a few people compared to the 50-member EU observer mission deployed in the previous elections. The EU deployed a fully-fledged observer mission during the last three elections in Pakistan. Part of the reason EU is not keen to send an observer mission is due to previous difficulties faced by its observers as well as non-implementation of suggestions put forward by the mission.
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