As the second phase of KP’s LB polls begins, starting with Lower and Upper Dir, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sprung into action to ensure that elections are held according to its code of conduct. Not known to exercise its authority very effectively, the ECP has become quite active of late, making sure that no political party is allowed to break rules and regulations. That it has sent a letter to the administration and police of Lower Dir to stop a proposed rally in the district to be attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan is a welcome and courageous step towards more fair and clean elections. Rules barring any visit by the President, PM, governor, CM, speaker or chairman senate and assembly, federal or provincial cabinet member, advisor or any public office holder to an area where elections have been announced are quite clear. It is unfortunate that the PM violated this rule in the first phase of the KP LB polls as well when he visited Peshawar and launched a health scheme despite the ECP’s warning days before elections were to be held. It seems likely that the visit to Lower Dir will again be categorized as part of the PM’s “official schedule” and won’t be called off. What is more, KP CM Mahmood Khan already visited Upper Dir yesterday, ignoring the ECP’s letter demanding cancellation of visit.
Such blatant flouting of the ECP’s code of conduct by the PTI government is attributable to two facts. One, the PTI took a beating in the first phase of the LG polls in KP despite running the province for nine years. The party therefore ill affords another major upset in the second phase. Secondly, the PTI and ECP do not see eye to eye on a number of issues, be it the former’s foreign funding case or matters related to electoral reforms such as the use of EVMs. The ECP must go a step further than simply issuing warnings, it must take punitive action so that all parties and their candidates are discouraged from breaking the law and violating its code of conduct in such a flagrant manner.
