Islamabad: Pakistan’s Election Commission on Friday decided to increase the time of polling by one hour in order to ensure maximum public participation in the country’s July 25 general elections.
According to a notification issued by the commission, polling will be held from 8 a.m. till 6 p.m. on election day. The process of polling will continue uninterrupted for 10 hours and there would be no recess during the stipulated period.
The decision of extending voting time has been taken for the first time in the country’s electoral history to ensure maximum voter turnout, Xinhua news agency reported.
The poll body has set-up 185,000 polling stations for the elections across the country for the Lower House of Parliament and the four provincial assemblies.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistani Army’s media wing the Inter-Services Public Relations announced in a statement that the military will provide security for the free, fair and transparent conduct of the polls.
According to the Election Commission, 350,000 military personnel will be deployed inside and outside the polling stations during the balloting exercise to maintain law and order.
—IANS