Twitterati question ECP's move to change polling stations

Social media users on Wednesday complained that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had changed their voter registration data without prior information.

According to many social media users, their polling stations have been moved by the electoral authority to far-off locations from their earlier voting sites.

Some complaints went as far to claim that their votes had been annulled as they were declared 'dead'.

The complaints started to emerge after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) asked citizens to check their voter registration data with the ECP by texting their CNIC to 8300.

In response, citizens posted screenshots of their locations designated during the 2018 general elections.

One social media user posted that their earlier location, at a distance of just 700 metres, had now been moved to a distance of six kilometres.

Another claimed that some voters had been "thrown" hundreds of miles away, far from their previous locations.

The complaints by the social media users didn't go unnoticed as several journalists, and analysts who questioned the apparent absurdity of the move.

Journalist Amir Zia questioned if the move was aimed at rigging or manipulating the polls.

Another journalist, Sumaira Jajja asked when did the change actually take place.

Former head of the National Counter Terrorism Authority Khawaja Khalid Farooq pointed out that there was something "seriously wrong" with the development.

A social media user also claimed that the change was an attempt to make it difficult for the PTI voters to reach the polling stations on election day.