The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a stern warning on Wednesday, addressing the misuse of state machinery and personnel by local government officials in support of electoral candidates.

“It has been noticed by the ECP that elected officials of the local governments helping candidates in their election campaign by providing government machinery and manpower which is against the code of conduct and fairness of the elections,” the ECP spokesperson added.

Scheduled for February 8, the 12th general elections in Pakistan have faced a four-month delay, amplifying the significance of maintaining a level playing field.

To address this concern, the ECP has instructed provincial chief secretaries and election commissioners to disseminate this admonition to government officials suspected of such improprieties.

The ECP has also directed the district monitoring teams to strictly monitor the election campaigns and take action over violations of the code of conduct.

A day earlier, the ECP removed the returning officer of NA-44 of Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over alleged misuse of power.

“It was noticed that the returning officer of NA-44, DI Khan allegedly abused his authority and altered the election symbol of a candidate within his constituency without any reason,” the spokesperson added.