• Govt infrastructure is widely used for affixing banners, posters, flags by parties to promote candidates
• ECP can take legal action against contesting parties over violations

KARACHI: As the campaign for the upcoming general elections gears up, the contesting political parties blatantly violate the Code of Conduct meticulously prepared by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by misusing and defacing the public property through advertisements of their banners, slogans and graffiti for Feb 8 polls in order to promote their candidates and leaders.

The Election Commission of Pakistan on Dec 20, 2023 announced a Code of Conduct for political parties, contesting candidates, election agents and polling agents.

Its Point No 25 of the code states: “In no case, the political parties, contesting candidates, election agents or their supporters shall affix posters on walls or any building without prior approval of the owner/institution. However, affixing of posters on public places including bridges, national institutions and installations shall be strictly prohibited.”

According to Point No 26, “There shall be complete ban on hoardings, billboards, wall chalking, and panaflexes of any size. Violation will be treated as an illegal practice.”

The apparent activities of political parties, which are actively participating in the elections, are in clear breach of the Code of Conduct prepared by the ECP.

The election campaigns have also left the writ of the city administration ineffective as recently the local government had put a ban on the use of infrastructure falling under the municipal authority for wall chalking, placing banners, hanging flags, etc.

A recent visit to prominent locations of the metropolis showed relentless and blatant misuse and exploitation of key road links and major infrastructures of city by political parties.

Overhead bridges, pedestrian bridges and fences along roadside grills, which all are public property, are being misused by political parties for electioneering.

The walls have been painted with party flags and political slogans.

The parties are misusing the public property by painting them with colours used on their flags and planting banners, posters and flags on poles and other prominent public places of the metropolis.

In some areas giant-sized billboards have also been erected on pedestrian and overhead bridges along with portraits of political leaders and candidates.

Violation of local govt laws

Apart from the Code of Conduct of the ECP, which prevents parties and candidates from using the public property for their promotion and campaign, on January 2, the city administration in Karachi also banned the use of infrastructure falling under the municipal authority for wall chalking, placing banners and hanging of flags.

In a letter to the commissioner of Karachi, the municipal commissioner on directives of Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab Siddiqi had asked him to use his office to make the ban effective and ensure compliance by all political parties. However, the authorities admit that so far the ban has remained ineffective.

“The ban is not effective so far,” Mayor Wahab told Dawn.

“We remove their [election campaign] stuff [banners, billboards and flags] but they fix them again. So we have written to the Karachi commissioner to make sure the implementation of election rules through their returning officers and district returning officers. They can take legal action against the contesting parties and candidates over such violations.”

The mayor claimed that the municipal administration was removing parties’ flags, banners and election campaign-related promotional billboards from the infrastructure of the city and his own Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) was also affected by such operations.

“We are doing our job without any discrimination,” the mayor claimed.

“We have even removed PPP flags from all Gizri areas. We have requested from all the parties to cooperate and don’t ruin the city infrastructures for their campaigns. Such stuff doesn’t give any tidy look to the city and only adds to operational expenses of the administration.”

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2024