Use of cellphones while voting disallowed: ECP

ECP issues directives restraining political leaders from bringing up the personal life of opponents in electioneering.

The Election Commission of Pakistan dispatched a code of conduct for concerned officials at the polling stations across the country, Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday.

The ECP urged the polling staff to treat the voters with respect and has discouraged them from wearing badges of political parties. It also disallowed the use of cell phones at the time of polling votes.

The directives apply to all Returning and Presiding Officers during Election Day.

The ECP has decided that each presiding officer will ask the voter if he is carrying a mobile phone. In case the answer is affirmative, the presiding officer will direct the voter to place the mobile on his table and thereafter, ballot paper will be issued to the voter who, after marking the same in screened off compartment, will insert his folded ballot papers in the ballot boxes and only then the mobile of that voter will be returned to him.

It has been decided that if a voter refuses to hand over his mobile to the presiding officer, he may not be given the ballot paper.

The ECP also issued directives to all political leaders to refrain from making personal attacks on opponents, Radio Pakistan reported.  

The personal life of opponents should not be brought up during electioneering, it said.

The political campaigns on electronic and print media along with public meetings are expected to end by Thursday midnight and any violation will warrant disqualification, a fine of up to Rs 100,000 or a withholding of results.

However, all political rallies for Wednesday have been cancelled by political parties to express solidarity with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan who suffered a head injury just before a scheduled rally after falling 16 ft. from a lifter on Tuesday.