ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan has finally taken notice of frequent incidents violence in various parts of the country and asked the provincial governments to provide protection to candidates and political leaders.

The ECP asked the provincial governments to take “earnest measures to prevent such assaults, ensuring an amicable and guarded atmosphere for the elections where the candidates and parties continue their campaign without fear”.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim and all members of the ECP, in a press statement, “strongly condemned the recent killings, firing and bomb blasts in Karachi, Balochistan, Peshawar and Kohat”.

“The ECP expressed serious concerns at the continuing targeting of candidates, activists and election campaigns and once again directed all the provincial governments to ensure the security of all contesting candidates and political leaders as their prime responsibility,” then statement said.

Meanwhile, the ECP continued to receive complaints from political parties accusing each other of violating the election code of conduct, with the latest application filed by the PPP, accusing PML-N candidates of openly brandishing weapons in Lahore.

The PML-N also submitted a complaint, drawing ECP’s attention to an advertisement frequently being aired on various TV channels, showing clips from speeches of former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif making contradictory claims about ending loadshedding.

The PPP’s complaint was filed by former governor and the party’s secretary general Sardar Latif Khosa. He cited incidents of rioting and firing which had taken place on April 20 and 23 at the Dry Port in Lahore, as well as an attack on the convoy of independent candidate Ayesha Ahad Malik.

The PML-N’s complaint was filed by the Leader of Opposition in Senate, Ishaq Dar. Talking to Dawn, he said the advertisement had been aired on various channels for two days as ‘paid political content’ without any ownership of its sponsor in violation of the media code of ethics. He termed it negative campaigning and said it was after the PML-N’s complaint to the channels that the name of PPP had been added to the ‘paid political content’.

The senator urged the ECP to take “immediate action” on this violation of the media code. PPP’s Mr Khosa said in his complaint that a riot-like situation had been created by openly using firearms at a meeting of the PML-N candidates and supporters at the Dry Port in the NA 124 constituency on April 23, resulting in grievous injuries to some people.

He alleged that police had been trying to cover up the blatant incident of violence.

“Yet another incident of naked aggression in Lahore’s NA 119 constituency occurred on April 20 within the jurisdiction of Tibi police when the car of independent candidate Ayesha Ahad was attacked by the henchmen of the PML-N candidate,” the complaint said.

Mr Khosa told the ECP that TV channels had the footage of the incident and despite an application for registration of a case no report had been registered. Instead, he said, the provincial police chief called for a patch-up and got the car repaired.

He said measures must be taken to prevent PML-N candidates, “supported by the local administration loyal to” the Sharif family, from resorting to acts of violence and intimidation.

APP adds: The printing of 180 million ballot papers will be completed by May 5.According to an ECP official, the supply of ballot papers to the returning officers will begin on May 6. The supply of voters’ lists to the ROs is continuing.

The ECP has received 780 applications for postal ballot for the two National Assembly constituencies of the federal capital.

According to the ECP data, 59,013 valid votes had been cast through postal ballots in the 2008 general elections.