ISLAMABAD: Speakers at an event on Wednesday stressed the need for electoral reforms to make election process credible.

Speaking at `National Conference: Electoral Reforms Making Elections Credible` organised by Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) at local hotel, they called for protecting the interests of vulnerable and marginalised groups.

Birgit Lamm, Pakistan head of FNF, said that citizens should be informed of their electoral rights and responsibilities, while HRCP secretary-general Harris Khalique pointed out that `federalism and equalcitizenship are key parts of the democratic process.

Former PPP senator Farhatullah Babar said that the credibility of elections had always been suspected.

Arshad Dad, former secretary-general of PTI, said it was important to move beyond `the influence of money and biraderi in electoral politics.

Responding to his comment that voters should be `educated` for the democratic process to be more effective, National Democratic Movement chairman Mohsin Dawarcontended that `illiterate voters often have more political wisdom than those who hold PhDs.

As part of the panel examining polling procedures and voter enfranchisement, National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) chairman Tariq Malik said that even though Nadra had achieved over 96pc registration, it was necessary to capture all remaining missing voters.

PPP leader Taj Haider suggested that returning officers should post images of Form 45 to the ECP web-site for greater transparency of results.

Former National Commission on the Status of Women chairperson Khawar Mumtaz recommended a 20pc minimum requirement for women voters` turnout to give parties a greater stake in pushing for women`s registration.

Rashid Chaudhry of Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) said polling stations should not be more than 1 kilometre from voters` area of residence.

HRCP Council member Husain Nagi added thataccurate census could only ensure fair election.

Romana Bashir of the Peace and Development Foundation concurred, saying that religious minorities should have greater representation on parties` core committees.

Information commissioner Zahid Abdullah underscored the need for an `organic movement` to mainstream the electoral participation of persons living with disabilities.

Speaking on the electoral process in the context of `fake news`, senior journalist Suhail Warraich emphasised that reporting should remain bias-free, while former PFUJ president Shahzada Zulfiqar pointed out that, in the race for breaking news, the role of the editor had receded.

Digital rights activist Usama Khilji explained that countering disinformation required greater digital literacy, a culture of factchecking in media houses, and social media codes of conduct for political parties.

HRCP chairperson Hina Jilani concluded the conference by saying that `the foundation of electoral reforms should be the right to participation at every stage. However, participation is a means to empowerment, not an end in itself.