ISLAMABAD The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has notified the candidates and political parties running for the general elections of 2024 that there would be no polling after February 6 midnight, as electioneering for next month’s polls intensifies.
A spokeswoman for ECP was quoted in The News as saying, “In accordance with Section 182 of the Elections Act 2017, no person shall hold or participate in any public meeting, procession, corner meeting, or such political activity after 12 midnight on February 6, 2024 and February 7, 2024.”
The spokesperson continued, “Therefore, legal action will be taken against any person who violates the above provision of the law.”
The scheduled date of the polls is February 8.
At the same time, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja of the Election Commission Secretariat in Islamabad received a briefing on the federal and provincial governments’ election preparations from caretaker Federal Minister for Communications, Maritime Affairs, and Railways Shahid Ashraf Tarar, who convenes the prime minister’s committee overseeing the preparations for the general elections of 2024.
Security personnel’s code of behavior
The ECP released its “Code of Conduct for Security Personnel” last week, cautioning against prejudice in election-related work.
Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are directed to carry out their tasks in compliance with the law and within the parameters of the police mandate by the ECP’s protocol, which does not include the military forces or civil armed forces.
Personnel responsible for providing security for the printing and transportation of voting materials and polling bag sets shall carry out their duties in accordance with Article 220 of the Pakistani Constitution, Section 5, as well as Section 193 of the Election Act, 2017.
LEAs must “remain impartial and neutral throughout the election process […] and shall not act in favor of or against” the electoral body, which has instructed the security apparatus to work with district returning officers (DROs), returning officers (ROs), and presiding officers (POs).Stressing how important it is to have a transparent and peaceful voting process, the ECP has issued a warning to security staff not to deny a voter the opportunity to cast a ballot.
