Indian support behind successful Pak polls

The Election Commissions of the two countries are sharing their experiences about preventing frauds and dealing with litigation

The Election Commissions of the two countries are sharing their experiences about preventing frauds and dealing with litigation

That the recent elections in Pakistan witnessed an unprecedented at least since 1970 voter turnout,with officials pegging the participation at almost 60 per cent,is a fact that is now well known. The high voter turnout was also remarkable because it came despite the threat of the Taliban to disrupt elections and the violence that continued during the bloody campaign. In 2008,only 44 per cent of the registered voters came out to cast their votes. However,not many know about the Indian support for the successful elections in the neighbouring country,where,despite repeated polls,democracy and democratically-elected governments have often worked in bits and pieces.

The foundation for constructive cooperation between the neighbours was laid in January 2011 when Justice Hamid Ali Mirza,then Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan,and senior officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan ECP visited New Delhi to participate in the Election Commission of Indias ECI Diamond Jubilee and National Voters Day celebrations.

After experiencing first-hand the success of the ambitious Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation SVEEP programme started by the ECI,aimed at checking the low and declining voter turnout during elections,the Pakistani team sought guidance in implementing a similar programme in that country.

Justice Mirza also showed keen interest in our electronic voting machines EVM. We provided them details of EVM and answered their queries about how the largest democracy conducts such peaceful and non-controversial elections every time. When I went to Pakistan with a team of ECI officials in September 2011 to participate in a SAARC election-related conference,we decided to share experiences and help each other. While we found their five-year strategic plan interesting,they wanted more information about SVEEP and use of modern-technology by us, recalls Dr S Y Quraishi,former Chief Election Commissioner.

To begin with,the ECP also decided to launch a voter enrolment and education programme and decided to observe October 17 every year as National Voters Day. Such was the spirit of cooperation that on January 23,Muhammad Afzal Khan,Additional Secretary,ECP,while making a presentation on Towards More Inclusive Elections: Interventions in the South Asian Region in New Delhi declared that the ECP had decided to emulate its Indian counterpart in observing a National Voters Day to enhance peoples participation in polls.

That ECI and ECP are also sharing their experiences about how to prevent electoral frauds,how to deal with political parties litigation and how to make political funding more transparent.

Story continues below this ad

Sources in the ECI told The Indian Express that teams from ECP have toured India four-five times in the last four years to understand how ECI conducts polls without any major fuss. It is learnt that the ECP is also keen to send a team of its officials to undertake a training programme at the ECI-run India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management.

India has matured as a democracy and our electoral system attracts worldwide attention. We felt that time had come to contribute our little bit to strengthen democracies wherever required,especially in the neighbourhood. Many of the problems in conducting elections are common not only to the two neighbouring countries but to the entire South Asian region. The task has now become easier with setting up of IIDEM where polling officials from 35 countries have received training in the last two years, observed Quraishi.