Removal of banners, posters in Karachi: Delegation of major parties meets Sindh election commissioner

KARACHI: Expressing concerns over the removal of their posters and banners, a delegation comprising representatives of almost all the major political parties called on Sindh election commissioner Yousaf Khattak on Thursday and submitted their reservations to him.

The delegation of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and other parties said their campaigns are being hindered as the authorities have been removing their election posters and banners.

Khattak later told the media that only a specific size of posters and banners will be allowed during electioneering, and that the code of conduct for polling campaigns was drafted after consultation with all the political parties.

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will ensure implementation of the code, adding that the reservations of the delegation have been conveyed to the ECP’s headquarters in Islamabad.

The election commissioner said the ECP has almost completed identifying polling stations, adding that a list of ‘sensitive’ and ‘most sensitive’ stations will be issued in a couple of days. He said the election commission will issue the final list of candidates contesting the general elections on June 30.

PPP leader Saeed Ghani, who was part of the delegation, told the media that all the political parties are on the same page as regards the banner removal issue, and that they are concerned about the action of the authorities.

Ghani admitted that their election posters and banners should be according to the allowed size, but, he said, the crackdown has been affecting their electoral campaign. He said the ECP has been advised to assign a focal person to deal with this issue, adding that they may charge a fee for such advertising.

JI leader Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that for a long time Karachi has suffered a suffocative environment, but since the restoration of law and order it seems that this time round the elections will be fair.

He, however, criticised the election commission over the crackdown, saying that it is the right of the political parties to disseminate their messages to the masses.

PML-N leader Khawaja Tariq Nazir said the political parties do not wish to violate the ECP’s code of conduct, as it is in line with the Constitution of Pakistan. He, however, added that the same Constitution allows political parties to run their respective campaigns freely.