The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has made a significant move by reopening voter lists nationwide, allowing eligible individuals to register, transfer, or rectify their voting information until October 25, 2023.

This important decision was communicated through a press release, which was also shared on social media platforms. The release clarified that the voter lists had been frozen on July 20, 2023, in compliance with Section 39 of the Elections Act, 2017. However, in recognition of the need for public convenience and participation, the ECP chose to unfreeze the lists immediately, providing an extended opportunity until October 25, 2023.

The ECP encouraged eligible citizens to meticulously review their voter registration details, transfers, exits, and national identity card information within the specified timeframe.

This development followed the ECP’s release of preliminary constituency lists, which were made available 15 days before the deadline. These lists included revisions to the boundaries of constituencies for both the national and provincial assemblies.

According to the new constituency list, the size of the National Assembly has decreased by six seats, totaling 336. This reduction was a consequence of adjustments to the representation of newly merged districts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which decreased from 12 to six seats based on the 2023 census.

The National Assembly will comprise 266 general seats, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s representation reduced to 45 from the previous 51 in 2018. The merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 2018 had initially allocated 12 National Assembly seats to the newly merged districts, which has now been reduced to six.

Additionally, there are 60 seats reserved for women and 10 seats allocated for non-Muslims in the National Assembly. The report revealed that Punjab will have the highest number of seats in the lower house of parliament, followed by Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Islamabad. Punjab will have 141 National Assembly seats, Sindh 51, Balochistan 16, and Islamabad three.

The ECP also furnished details about provincial assembly constituencies, specifying that the Punjab Assembly will have 297 seats, the Sindh Assembly 130 seats, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly 115 seats, and the Balochistan Assembly 51 seats.

Furthermore, for the convenience of the public, the ECP announced that facilitation and objections receiving desks at its secretariat in Islamabad would remain operational on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This decision aligns with the government’s declaration of Friday as a public holiday for Eid Milad-un-Nabi (12th Rabiul Awwal).