The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday said that electioneering would come to an end at midnight on February 16. A press statement issued here said that according to Section 84 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976.
"No person shall convene, hold or attend any public meeting and no person shall promote or join in any procession within the area of the constituency during a period of 48 hours ending at midnight following the conclusion of the poll for an election in that constituency."
The law also prohibits bogus voting, tampering with ballot papers, canvassing within the radius of 400 yards of the polling stations and disorderly conduct in and around the polling stations on the polling day. The offenders are liable to be tried summarily by the mobile magistrates and the presiding officers and awarded adequate punishment of imprisonment or fine or both.
The Commission has earnestly appealed to all citizens, candidates, and political parties to strictly adhere to the provisions of law in the larger national interest so that the polls could be held in a peaceful and orderly manner.
The Punjab Election Commission has summoned the government servants to perform duties of Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers, polling officers and staff for the forthcoming elections to be held on February 18.
The government servants mainly teachers have been advised through principals and headmasters to report to Returning Officers for assignment of duty at the polling stations. They include 3.50 lakh school teachers, 17,999 college teachers and thousands of government employees working in various departments. They have been summoned for duty on the polling day, but to ensure their presence before the Returning Officers.
The list of teachers and staff have been sent to all Returning Officers. The Returning Officers will ensure presence of all polling staff, including Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers, polling officers, and staff of each constituency and polling station simultaneously. They will be handed over the ballot boxes and ballot papers along with the list of registered voters, both male and female.
There are 150 National Assembly constituencies and over 300 Provincial Assembly constituencies in Punjab, including Islamabad. These constituencies will have at least 38,000 polling stations, 98,000 polling booths, four in each polling station. Approximately, 37,000 Presiding Officers, 195,000 Assistant Presiding Officers and over 90,000 polling officers will be posted in Punjab constituencies. There are reports that an employee is posted in more than one constituency.
The candidates are trying to get the Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers posted of their choice. They are influencing the Returning Officers to post the polling staff of their choice. As a result there was hotchpotch arrangement and one teacher was posted at various constituencies at the same time causing anxiety among them.
In most polling stations, the Presiding Officers are school teachers while Assistant Presiding Officers are college teachers who are senior in grades. This also shows irregularities as a Presiding Officer in junior grade can easily be suppressed.
In most of the cases, female teachers are posted 30 to 40-km away from their residences or schools. The principals of colleges and headmasters of schools have been advised to ensure presence of teachers at the office of Returning Officers failing which disciplinary action could be taken against them.
At least, five percent teachers both from schools and colleges have been put on reserved list. However, they will be in constant touch with the Returning Officers for their posting anytime, anywhere.
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