DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Nov 30 (APP): Commissioner Dera Ismail Khan Division Zafar-ul-Islam has urged all political parties to comply with standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the upcoming general elections.
He issued these directives while chairing a meeting held at his office in a bid to promote awareness about election SOPs and ensure implementation of those guidelines, leading to a conducive environment for the transparent conduct of elections.
The meeting was attended by representatives of political representatives, regional election commissioner, regional police officer, deputy commissioners, district election commissioners, district police officers, and officials from relevant departments.
The commissioner that the prescribed SOPs were being shared with all parties to ensure transparency and a conducive environment during the elections.
According to the SOPs, political parties are required to share their schedules regarding rallies and corner meetings with their respective deputy commissioners every fifteen days, obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) in this regard.
Failure to obtain NOC would be considered an illegal gathering.
The Commissioner added that venues would also be shared in a few days, enabling political parties to timely seek permissions for their events.
He advised political parties to avoid illegal, sectarian or derogatory language and added there was complete restriction on the use of the loudspeaker for such purposes.
He asked political parties not to display advertising materials on government buildings and urged them to erect public banners at prominent locations that did not affect traffic flow and public movement.
He said the private security of the parties must be licensed, adding submission of an affidavit regarding the implementation of SOPs was a must.
He also asked for sharing the schedule of corner meetings which should be held in the daytime.
Speaking on the occasion the RPO warned parties not to remove banners of opponent parties, or action would be taken against them.
He also urged for timely sharing of the timings of rallies and its routes to provide better security and avert confrontation among them.
He directed to refrain from sharing critical content about other parties.
The Regional Election Commissioner stated that the banner for promotion should not exceed 18×23 inches, pamphlets should not exceed 9×6 inches, and there should be restrictions on sizes for all promotional materials.
He asked political parties to avoid advertising on private property without obtaining permission from the building owner.
He said that the ECP had complete authority to impose restrictions in case of violation of the SOPs by any political party.
He also said that no development projects would be inaugurated or announced after the election schedule, adding there was a restriction on the use of panaflex material for advertisement purposes.
At the end, prayers were offered for the country’s prosperity and development.