ECP warns of action, and political parties have till tonight to canvass

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared that electioneering for Thursday’s elections will conclude at midnight on the evening of February 6 and 7, 2024, in compliance with election law.

Citing Section 182 of the Elections Act of 2017, which forbids any political activity beyond the designated time frame, the ECP released a notification in this regard.

The Elections Act of 2017 prohibits public meetings within a certain area for forty-eight hours, ending at midnight “following” the conclusion of any election in that area or province. This prohibition applies to both Senate and area elections. Section 182 of the Act states: “No person shall convene, hold or attend any public meeting, or promote or join in any procession.”

Section 183 stipulates that an individual found guilty of an offence involving illegal practice faces a maximum sentence of two years in jail, a maximum fine of one hundred thousand rupees, or both.

The ECP issued a warning, stating that any candidate who planned or took part in a rally, march, corner gathering, or other political event beyond the deadline would be prosecuted.

The commission asked the public and media for assistance in order to guarantee a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.

Separately, on Monday, Colonel Saad, Project Director for the ECP Election Management System (EMS), announced that a unique network had been established in compliance with all global security guidelines.

When he briefed the media about the EMS here, he dismissed worries that results may be manipulated or that the system could be compromised. He clarified that the ECP was not accessible over the internet and that it had its own private network. He ruled out the chance of breaking into the system.

He added that only certain individuals will be able to utilize the EMS, and that a special network operating center had been set up for that purpose.

He continued, “We have also white-listed the presiding officers’ cell phones, so nobody will be able to access or use them. Regarding a letter from a NA-197 returning officer (RO), he claimed that his issues had been taken care of. He said that his problems would have been resolved sooner if the RO had called the ECP helpline or the district returning officer. “But after our conversation, he told me that the EMS is operating flawlessly,” he continued.

In order to assist the returning cops around the nation, he added that 3,600 software operators had been employed and trained, and that 3,000 computers had been made available for EMS. According to the project director, it is currently difficult to estimate the overall cost of the EMS. He added that it was impossible to estimate with any degree of precision how long it might take for the results to arrive.

Nonetheless, he added that five trials of the EMS had been carried out at various phases, and that any issues found or encountered with the system had been fixed. He also mentioned that the ROs had been given access to satellite links.

The EMS technology has been improved, according to ECP Info-Tech Director General Khizar Hayat. It has been utilized in 40 elections before. He indicated that the results would be sent by the presiding officer via the EMS to the returning officer. “The presiding officer will personally present the results to the returning officer in the event that there is a problem with delivery. Any modifications to the results will be promptly detected by the EMS,” he continued.

He said that the National Operations Center was constructed in compliance with international standards and that multiple power backups were established to maintain the system. In contrast, he said that the EMS backup servers are housed with NADRA [National Database and Registration Authority], which has 24 years of experience and resources from the Pakistani government.