ECP bans election rallies, issuance of arms licences

WASIM IQBAL

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday moved to ban all election rallies, processions and public gatherings, besides prohibiting issuance of arm licenses till general elections.

This was decided at a top level meeting of the ECP on Wednesday held here to finalise security and administrative arrangements during the elections.

The meeting was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Fakharuddin G Ebrahim. Participants included, among others, provincial Chief Secretaries, Home Secretaries, Inspectors-General of Police, secretaries defence, interior, establishment division and Safron.   

Briefing media persons, Secretary ECP Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan said that the delimitation process in Karachi has been initiated, adding that it was likely to be completed by March 20.  

The commission intended to hold elections for the National Assembly and provincial assemblies on the same day. However, the final decision would be taken by the government, he said.

The ECP, he said, had imposed a ban on the issuance of all arms licences till the general elections with immediate effect, the Secretary ECP announced.

He pointed out that issuance of arms licences was a provincial subject after the adoption of the 18th Amendment, but the Ministry of Interior had been issuing arms licences all over Pakistan.

The ministry of interior and provincial chief secretaries had agreed to impose the ban on the recommendation of the commission, he said.

Only personal security guards of contesting candidates would be allowed to bear arms, but this also required proper security clearance from provincial governments, he said. Answering a question, he said that the candidates could keep up to five personal security guards.

The ECP Secretary further said that there was a consensus among participants of the meeting to ban all rallies, processions and public gatherings, restricting all such gatherings within the boundaries of houses.

“In other words, the commission decided to put a ban on election rallies,” he explained. However, the matter would be taken up by the Senate’s Special Committee on Election for further discussion, he said.

Display of weapons during election campaigns and polling day had also been banned, he said. Around 500 monitoring teams would be set up for monitoring election campaigns.

Responding to a question regarding the military’s deployment at polling stations, he said provincial committee headed by Chief Secretaries would finalise security plans for respective provinces in the light of recommendations submitted to them by district election security committees.  The provinces, he said, would chalk out security plans, detailing the number of personnel from military, Rangers, police and the Frontier Constabulary to be deployed at sensitive polling stations in each province. In the meeting, Secretary Defence rejected a proposal to spare soldiers for all 80,000 polling stations.

He pointed out that if soldiers were deployed at all polling stations, nearly 300,000 troops were required.

Another proposal regarding installation of CCTV cameras at all sensitive polling stations was also discussed. According to ECP officials, the Punjab government of Punjab had already agreed to install CCTV cameras at 4,000 polling stations.   The Secretary ECP said that the Safron ministry would restrict the movement of Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan a couple of weeks before general elections.

Ishtiaq Ahmed said a code of conduct would also be observed by foreign observers. The ECP would allow only a limited number of foreign observers and letters in this respect had already been dispatched by the Foreign Office. Their stay would be no longer than a week.

In the light of a judgment of Peshawar High Court, he said, the ECP was studying legal aspect of declaring the recognised camps of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) constituencies so that they could also cast their votes. The Secretary said the representatives of Fata and Balochistan showed their interest in holding elections there.

The secretary further revealed that the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa informed the committee that around 250 FC personnel had been recalled from their border duties in Fata and other parts of the province and deputed at other places. The ECP asked the Ministry of Interior to submit a summary to Prime Minister and depute them again at their original work place.

The Secretary ECP said that holding election required 700,000 persons. Unlike previous practice, all federal and provincial employees would be deputed at polling stations, instead of just workers of the education department.

He said the process of electoral reforms had started three years ago and 60 percent recommendations had so far been incorporated in the existing electoral laws. Recommendations requiring constitutional amendments had also been adopted by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee and some were being debated in the Senate’s Special Committee on Election.