The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to take harsh action against those seen in a video bribing voters ahead of the NA-133 by-election.
The revelation of a video on social media depicting some people paying voters has ignited a war of words between the PML-N and the PPP, with both parties hurling accusations at each other.
According to a media source, Punjab’s Election Commissioner conducted a meeting on Monday to evaluate by-election preparations which have been scheduled for December 5.
The meeting was attended by:
- Deputy commissioner Lahore.
- Returning officer.
- District returning officer.
- Pakistan Rangers officials.
NADRA, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), and other relevant authorities have been ordered to prepare a report on the viral video and submit it to the commission as soon as possible.
The meeting decided that “Strict action will be taken against the elements involved as soon as the report is received.” It was stated in the meeting that the successful candidate may be disqualified if he/she is found to be involved in the video scandal.
The committee also resolved that on election day, Rangers personnel would monitor the constituency, while police would be in charge of ensuring peace and order around polling booths. The polling materials had been handed over to the returning officer, according to the meeting.
Furthermore, 21 of the constituency’s 254 polling locations have been designated as extremely sensitive, 199 as sensitive, and 34 as regular.
The participants agreed that the number of CCTV cameras and police officers at sensitive voting sites should be increased.
The Punjab election commissioner informed Pakistan’s chief election commissioner about the meeting’s decisions, according to the ECP’s Punjab spokeswoman.
The Election Commission took notice of a viral video purporting to show voters being bought.
The returning officer for the seat addressed a notice to Lahore’s deputy commissioner and the inspector general of police, asking them to respond by November 30.
A notification was also addressed to the NADRA chairman and the PEMRA chairman, asking them to answer by November 30 with the information requested.
It requests that the DC Lahore and the IG police conduct a forensic audit of the video to determine the facts, including the identity of the people in the video and the location of the illegal activity.
The two officials have been asked to provide “complete bio-data” on the individuals seen in the video. The IG police have also been directed to apprehend all individuals involved in illegal activities as soon as possible.
