LAHORE: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Punjab caretaker government on Monday again vowed to ensure free and fair polls in the province, as people across are getting ready to exercise their right to vote.

The promise was made during a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi held at the CM Secretariat to review the progress.

On occasion, the participants were given a detailed briefing on the arrangements being made by the ECP for organising elections and the government measures adopted for security reasons in this regard.

It was decided that the Punjab caretaker government would appoint a focal person for close and effective coordination with the country’s top electoral body to hold timely polls.

Raja said general elections were not far away and they would have to make joint efforts for free and fair polls on time, as he assured the caretaker government of extending full assistance for the purpose.

He said delimitation process would be completed by Nov 30, adding that the ECP was ready for holding general elections and satisfied with the measures taken so far by the Mohsin Naqvi-led setup in Punjab.

Naqvi reciprocated the views expressed by Raja and said they would follow the ECP guidelines in letter and spirit, as he described holding free and fair elections as a national responsibility.

The ECP members – Babar Hassan Bharwana (Punjab), Nisar Ahmed Durrani (Sindh), Justice (r) Ikramullah Khan and Shah Muhammad Jatoi Balochistan – as well as provincial chief secretary, IGP and other top government functionaries also attended the meeting.