ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: Chief Election Observer of the European Union Michael Gahler has expressed hope that the elections would take place peacefully. “I hope that the elections will be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere and transparent manner,” he said in a statement here on Sunday.

The chief observer added that the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) would make its preliminary assessment public on Wednesday. “We will reveal our initial findings in the mission’s preliminary statement and not earlier,” Mr Gahler said.

The EU EOM to Pakistan and a delegation of the members of the European Parliament will observe the polling process in all the provinces and the federal capital on election day. A total of 131 European Union observers will be deployed.

The 119-member EU EOM comprises of observers from 23 European Union countries as well as from Norway and Canada, while the European Parliament delegation has 12 members.An EU election mission has been in Pakistan since December 8, 2007. EU observers have been deployed around the country since Jan 10 and will stay in the field beyond election day to observe the post-election period, including the consolidation of results.

An international poll observers’ mission has urged law-enforcement agencies to rein in elements who are trying to create a law and order problem.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Thomas Houlahan, leader of the Centre for Media and Democracy (CMD) delegation comprising over 30 members from the United States, Canada, Holland, Belgium and some other countries, warned of large-scale clashes on the polling day if law-enforcement agencies failed to take suitable action against such elements.

He, however, said that the government had taken substantial steps to prevent vote rigging.

“The introduction of transparent ballot boxes and announcement of results by district retuning officers (DROs) locally has closed doors on vote stealing. However, accusers of vote rigging should come up with concrete proofs and we will take notice of such reporting. We will need proofs and not mere accusations,” he said, adding that everybody in Pakistan talked about vote rigging but when he or she was asked how it was going to happen, they became speechless.

CMD Chairman Ayub Munir, while unveiling a report of observers on the election campaign process, said the centre’s fact-finding missions had reported from across the country that rigging allegations, blatant display of arms by rival candidates and their supporters, violation of the code of conduct and massive use of money might result in large-scale clashes.

He stressed the need for deploying armed forces to ensure free, fair and transparent polls, adding that the authorities concerned should take notice of these developments and security should be beefed up to the maximum to avert any law and order situation.

“There is no need for keeping the army in reserve. Maximum security deployment should be ensured and the army should be visible so that any bid to create violence is foiled,” he said.