The Election Commission (EC) has postponed its decision to issue more than 10,000 election observer cards to the so-called non-governmental organisation People’s Association for Social Advancement (PASHA) for the national election.

Briefing reporters after a high-level meeting at the state guesthouse Jamuna on Saturday night, Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said an NGO named PASHA had applied to appoint 10,000 election observers.

“The Election Commission conducted an inquiry into the organisation. After the inquiry, the EC was not convinced of PASHA’s capacity. As a result, the distribution of election observation cards to the organisation has been postponed,” Azad said, quoting EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed.

Azad made the remarks at a press conference held in front of the state guesthouse Jamuna after the meeting, chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam also briefed reporters on the overall outcomes of the meeting, which focused on election preparations.

Azad said no political involvement has been identified in PASHA’s case so far, but investigations are still ongoing.

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At the beginning of the meeting, Chief Adviser Prof Yunus said the main challenge is to ensure a “perfect” voting process and described the coming week as very crucial.

An investigative report titled ‘One-person-based PASHA giving 10,000 election observers’ was published in Prothom Alo on Friday.

The report revealed that the organisation is run by a single individual who has converted a room in his house into PASHA’s office.