Election duties: ECP set to notify code for military personnel

ISLAMABAD: Code of conduct for the Pakistan Army personnel, to be involved in the election duties, will be notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan in a few days time amid reports that the military’s role will be “meaningful” during the upcoming national polls.

The code of conduct, it is said, will determine the dos and donts for those Army personnel who will be involved in the election duties. It is said that as against the past, the military personnel’s role will be extended but will be aimed at ensuring free, fair and transparent elections.

Those military officials, who will be involved in the election duties, may also be given training for the role they will be assigned during the upcoming elections. Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan had decided that troops would be deployed both inside and outside all the polling stations countryside while CCTVs will be installed at 20,000 highly sensitive polling stations during the upcoming general elections.

In a meeting chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner Justice (R) Sardar Muhammad Raza and attended by the representatives from the ministries of defence and interior, provincial chief secretaries and inspector generals of police (IGPs) and provincial election commissioners, the decision to engage the troops in the election duties was taken. In the same meeting it was decided to frame code of conduct for security personnel including the troops engaged in election duties.

Election Commission sources said that Section 233 of the Election Act 2017 deals with Code of Conduct for both the political parties as well as the security personnel, media and other election observers.

The Section 233 reads as: “— (1) The Commission shall, in consultation with political parties, frame a Code of Conduct for political parties, contesting candidates, election agents and polling agents. (2) The Commission shall also frame a Code of Conduct for security personnel, media and election observers. (3) A political party, a candidate, an election agent, a polling agent, security personnel, media and an observer shall follow the Code of Conduct during an election. (4) The Commission shall publish a Code of Conduct framed under this section in the official Gazette and on its website.”