The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared the cutoff time for the submission of postal ballot papers on Wednesday, emphasizing that only those received by Returning Officers (ROs) before midnight will be included in the official count.
According to an ECP statement, any postal ballot papers arriving after midnight on February 7 will not be factored into the total tally. The ROs will consider the received postal ballot papers during the compilation of the final election results.
Nationwide, a total of 449,287 postal ballot papers were issued, with 206,533 designated for the national assembly and 242,754 for provincial assemblies. Specifically, 74,274 postal ballots were earmarked for the Punjab Assembly, and 26,649 were allocated for the Sindh Assembly.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw the highest distribution of postal ballot papers at 81,282, followed by 60,550 in Balochistan.
The ECP underscored its commitment to facilitating government employees, their families, prisoners, and individuals with disabilities by offering them the option to cast their votes through postal ballot papers. The deadline announcement ensures the timely and accurate inclusion of these votes in the overall electoral process.