The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), unveiling its code of conduct for national media, has barred print, electronic and social media from reporting on any allegations and statements that may “harm national solidarity” or create a law and order situation during the election campaign or on polling day.
The 18-point code of conduct has also stressed on not publishing or broadcasting any content that features opinions “prejudicial to the ideology, sovereignty, uprightness or security of Pakistan, public order or the integrity and independence of the judiciary of Pakistan.” Similarly, reportage on the general elections must not include any content that could be construed as a personal attack on a candidate or political party on the basis of gender, religion, sect, caste, baradari etc. If any candidate makes an allegation against any other candidate, it states, media should seek comments from both sides.
Under the code of conduct, available on the ECP’s website, media is barred from running the campaigns of candidates and political parties at the cost of the public exchequer, with any organization that accepts paid political advertisements required to provide details of the expenditures to the ECP as per law.
The ECP has also called on print, broadcast and social media journalists to launch inclusive civic and voter education programs that especially target marginalized groups such as women, transgenders, youth, minorities and differently-abled persons to maximize voter turnout. Citing Section 182 of the Elections Act, 2017, it said all media persons should refrain from advancing the election campaign of any candidate or political party for 48 hours prior to the conclusion of polling for any election.
All media organizations have been barred from obstructing the election process—including pre-election and post-election—and are required to display accreditation cards provided by the ECP. Accredited media persons, it states, would be allowed to enter a polling station to gather footage of the voting process just once. During this, it has stressed, they must ensure secrecy of the ballot. Media personnel, it states, would be allowed to observe the counting process.
After polling has been completed, media is barred from airing any unofficial result of a polling station until one hour has passed after the end of polling. “Broadcasters will air results after one hour of polling ending with clear disclaimer that these are unofficial, incomplete and fractional results,” it said, warning any violation risked penalization from authorities concerned.
To ensure the code of conduct is followed, states the ECP, PEMRA, PTA, Press Information Department (PID), Cyber Wing and Digital Media Wing of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry would monitor the coverage given to political parties and candidates for their election campaigns through electronic channels, print and social media. “The above authorities shall submit to the commission details of payments made by the political parties and candidates within 10 days after poll day,” it states, adding these organizations would also assist the ECP in implementing the code of conduct.
To ensure freedom of expression, states the code of conduct, the government and law enforcing agencies shall provide protection to media persons and media houses.
The ECP, in the code of conduct, has barred print, broadcast and social media from conducting any entrance or exit polls, or conducting any kind of surveys at any polling station that could influence the voters’ free choice of casting votes. “In case of violation of this Code of Conduct, the Election Commission of Pakistan reserves the right to withdraw accreditation of an Individual journalist/media organization. The authority to determine the violation also rests with the Election Commission of Pakistan,” it added.