The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has designated a Chief Information Officer (CIO) at its Secretariat and four Public Information Officers (PIOs) at the provincial level under the Right of Access to Information Regulations, 2026, notified in February 2026.

Who are the Designated Officers?

According to the notification available on the ECP’s official website, the Secretary of the Commission has been assigned the additional responsibility of Chief Information Officer. Similarly, the four Provincial Election Commissioners (PECs) have been designated as Public Information Officers at their respective provincial offices.

Read FAFEN’s Story: ECP’s Regulations for Right Access to Information

What is the Background of this Development?

The ECP introduced the Right of Access to Information Regulations, 2026, following a ruling by the Islamabad High Court. The court clarified that although constitutional bodies such as the ECP are not bound by the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, they remain obligated under the Constitution to ensure transparency by formulating their own regulatory framework.

Under these regulations, the ECP has established a formal mechanism enabling citizens to request information through designated officers, with clearly defined procedures, timelines, and fee structures. However, the Commission has classified 10 out of 49 categories of information, restricting their disclosure, subject to periodic review.

What Information Has Been Declared “Classified”?

Out of the 49 identified categories of information held by the Commission, the following 10 have been declared classified:

  • Appointment of delimitation committees
  • Appointment of supervisors, verifying officials, enumerators, and display center in-charges related to electoral roll preparation and revision
  • Documents related to advertising agencies and the Press Information Department (PID)
  • Personal information of trainers and trainees involved in ECP trainings
  • Monitoring reports submitted by District Monitoring Officers and election monitoring teams
  • Gender and social inclusion plans
  • Hiring matters and allotment of official accommodation to employees
  • Purchase and registration of vehicles
  • Notes and correspondence sections of official files
  • Any other document declared classified by the competent authority

The contact details of the designated information officer can be obtained from the ECP’s official website from the following link: https://ecp.gov.pk/contact-us