Free, fair and transparent elections are the ultimate goal of the Election Commission, G Ebrahim

Islamabad: 7 March 2013

“Free, fair and transparent elections are the ultimate goal of the Election Commission, and we are committed to fulfilling our Constitutional obligation to giving the nation a free and fair election,” stated by the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Justice (Retd.) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim,  at the opening ceremony of the Training of Master Trainers for the conduct of training of District Returning Officers and Returning Officers across the country in regard to upcoming General Elections.
He highlighted the importance of training for the DROs and ROs as they will be playing an important role in the conduct of elections. The training of the trainers is beginning of an important process related to the upcoming general elections, he said.
The CEC encouraged the trainers to learn the skills which will be needed to implement this important training and advised them to approach the ECP’s district or provincial offices in case they face any difficult.
The nationwide training of the DROs and ROs is being implemented by the ECP with assistance from IFES.
The CEC also highlighted the importance of democratic process and ECP’s role in arranging credible elections. “It is not just an election, it is a process of strengthening our institutions, and we must work together and work hard to achieve our cherished goal of giving our children and future generations the best we can.”
Earlier Secretary ECP, Ishtiak Ahmad Khan underlined the importance of preparedness in domains of elections and training being one of the crucial ones. He appreciated commitment and dedication of the officers and staff of the ECP and the partners who are providing assistance in the training and other reform areas. He particularly highlighted the contribution being made by IFES in providing technical assistance to the ECP.
Country Director IFES, Ole Holtved, briefly spoke about the ongoing cooperation between ECP and IFES and assured IFES continuous support to the ECP in strengthening the country’s electoral system.