Adil Shaheen

ISLAMABAD: With general elections less than two weeks away, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has introduced a WhatsApp helpline to provide citizens with a platform to register their poll-related complaints.

Over 128 million voters will exercise their right to franchise across the country on February 8 and a historic number of candidates have filed their nomination papers for contesting the polls. The ECP’s initiative to roll out a helpline on the social platform aims to enhance accessibility and responsiveness in addressing concerns leading up to the upcoming general elections. Using the WhatsApp number 0327 5050610, individuals, particularly those who are speech and hearing impaired, can submit their complaints via video.

The ECP has established the Election Monitoring and Complaint Centre (EMCC) to facilitate and address the voters’ grievances pertaining to the upcoming general elections. According to official sources, apart from WhatsApp, the complaints can be submitted through email at [email protected], or the dedicated helpline 111-327-000. The election watchdog has set up control rooms at its secretariat, as well as provincial, divisional, and district-level offices to handle the registration and resolution of complaints.

At the center, the people will have the opportunity to contact and register their election-related grievances. Trained staff has been appointed at the center to ensure prompt resolution of these issues, said the election regulator. The ECP urged people to promptly share footage of any code of conduct violations in their areas for swift response and resolution. The control center also has social media and electronic media monitoring facility.