ISLAMABAD, DEC 7, SPA -- Printing of 180 million ballot papers to be used by the electorate in Jan 8 parliamentary elections will start on Dec 17. The Pakistan Security Printing Corporation (PSPC) has finalized arrangements for printing ballot papers for 81 million voters, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Secretary Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad told the reporters. By the time printing of ballot papers is completed, the ECP will finalize polling stations, he said. Dilshad said that training of polling staff will be completed by December 26, during which around half a million polling staff would be imparted training, which is the first instance of its kind in Pakistan s history. All these steps are aimed at holding free, fair and transparent general elections and all the recent steps taken by the ECP, including introduction of transparent ballot boxes, use of partition screens at the polling stations and training of polling staff were never taken before in Pakistan, he added. About monitoring of polls by foreign observers, Dilshad said that the people of Pakistan and the local media were the best observers of the process and therefore there was no need for foreign observers to come and monitor the polling process. He, however, added that those who wish to come and see the polling would be facilitated by the ECP. He inspected the formal dispatching of around 430,000 transparent ballot boxes to different stations in Pakistan through trucks and trailers.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/506961