Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim on Wednesday said the Election Commission had nothing to do with political activities at the Presidency, as the ECP announced the Code of Conduct for the upcoming general elections.
Addressing reporters after presiding over a meeting of the ECP, Ebrahim said the appointment of judicial officers as presiding officers is required to hold free and fair elections. He added that ECP could not provide transport facility to all voters.
Meanwhile, the draft of the Code of Conduct states that candidates and political parties shall refrain from criticism of any aspect of private life that is not connected with the public activities of leaders or workers of other parties. Criticism based on unverified allegations and distortion of facts shall be avoided.
The code further said the District Returning Officer and Returning Officer shall be responsible to ensure implementation of the Code of Conduct, in their capacity as Magistrate First Class, through district/local administration, district police or other law enforcing agencies in the area of their jurisdiction.
The code put a complete ban on carrying and display of all kinds of weapons and firearms in public meetings and processions as well as on the polling day and till 24-hours after the consolidation of official results by the Returning Officer and official regulations in respect thereof shall be strictly observed. Aerial firing, use of crackers and other explosives at public meetings and at or near the polling stations by political parties and candidates shall not be allowed. Wall chalking as part of an election campaign shall be prohibited in all forms.
No person or a political party shall affix posters, hoardings, banners or leaflets/handbills larger than the sizes prescribed by the Election Commission. The use of abusive language against the leaders and candidates of other political parties shall be avoided at all costs. Candidates and their supporters shall not propagate against the participation of any person in the elections on the basis of gender, ethnicity, religion or caste.
Candidates and their supporters or other persons shall not encourage or enter into formal or informal agreements debarring women from becoming candidates or exercising their right of vote in an election. Similarly, issue of advertisement at the cost of public exchequer in the newspapers and other media and misuse of official mass media during the election period for partisan coverage of political news and publicity shall be avoided by the federal, provincial and local governments.
The President, Speaker/Deputy Speaker National Assembly, Chairman/Deputy Chairman Senate, Prime Minister, Federal Ministers, Ministers of State, Governors, Chief Ministers, Provincial Ministers and Advisors to the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers and other public office holders shall not combine their official visits with election campaign. This provision will also be applicable to the caretaker setup. Similarly, local government functionaries/representatives shall not announce any development scheme or do anything, which tends to influence the results of an election in favour or against a particular candidate or political party.
Parties and candidates shall not propagate any opinion, or act in any manner prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan, or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or morality, or the maintenance of public order, or the integrity or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary or the Armed Forces of Pakistan, as provided under Article 63 of the constitution.
Election Commission Secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed told reporters that the ECP would send the draft Code of Conduct to the political parties for their comments and the political parties will be asked to send feedback within 15 days otherwise it will be considered as final for upcoming general elections.
He said that out of total 1170 lawmakers, 900 submitted affidavits to ECP regarding their nationalities.
There should be no lax on prohibting dual nationals to contest elections. In fact the EC should seek written affidativits, attested by a Session Judge, where the candidate gives in writing an undertaking that he holds no other nationality.
Comments are closed.