Operation cleanup: Take down flags, banners within 15 days, parties told

ECP warns that they will otherwise have to pay for removal themselves.

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ordered all political parties to remove all flags and banners that were put up as part of the election campaign early last month.

Chief Election Commissioner Fakharuddin G Ebrahim gave political parties a 15-day deadline to comply with the order.

All provincial chief secretaries have been instructed to make necessary arrangements in case the flags and banners were not removed.

“If political parties fail to remove the banners within two weeks then the removal charges of banners will be recovered from them [political parties],” a senior official of ECP told The Express Tribune on Friday.



“All parties are requested to make necessary arrangements for removal of their flags, banners, hoardings, etc from the cities/towns at their own expenses and restore the site into its original condition within 15 days, failing which the removal charges on that account will be recovered from them,” stated an official statement.

All provincial chief secretaries will direct the concerned district coordination officers to convey the instructions to candidates who contested the May 11 elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2013.