ECP directs provincial election commissioners, ROs to issue results in 30 minutes

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ordered its provincial election commissioners and returning officers (ROs) to issue the results of the general elections 2024 within the next half an hour.

The ECP added that it will suspend the returning officers if the work isn’t completed within the deadline, the electoral body said in a brief statement.

The development comes after local media reported that the returning officers have stopped issuing election results.

Earlier, Geo News’ reporter, Ashraf Malkham, in Islamabad had said that the ECP has also urged people to not believe the results which were being reported on news channels in Pakistan.

“The ECP has also said that people should not believe the results provided by the private media since they are not official. They are a lot of problems in the results being reported since they are not professionally compiled.

“The returning officers are compiling the results and as soon as that is complete, the election commission will officially announce the result.

“The election commission has told the relevant departments to issue the statement as soon as possible in order to provide clarity to people.”

Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) leaders Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz had prepared victory speeches but they left their party’s election cell in Lahore after a delay in results, Geo News reported.

Senior journalist Raees Ansari, in a Geo News special broadcast, attributed the delay to communication disruptions caused by mobile phone and internet shutdowns.

He revealed that representatives faced strict prohibitions when approaching returning officers, hindering information flow. Despite the uncertainty, sources suggest that all results will be compiled and submitted to the Election Commission once the communication barriers are lifted.

Meanwhile, caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar Thursday congratulated the nation on the successful conduct of the general elections 2024.

Taking to his official X handle, PM Kakar appreciated the efforts of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), interim provincial governments, the armed forces, civil armed forces, police, law enforcement agencies, election staff, media and all those institutions and individuals who contributed to the conduct of the free and fair elections.

“This momentous occasion is not just a testament to the resilience and strength of our democratic processes but also to the indomitable spirit of the Pakistani people.”