ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: The Election Commission on Wednesday issued a code of conduct for the political parties and contesting candidates for the upcoming general elections, allowing the use of loudspeakers and holding of political meetings.

The Election Commission asked the political parties and candidates not to make the private life of their opponents the target of their criticism.

The EC, however, lifted the restriction on the use of microphones as was imposed during the last general elections held in 1997.

The EC, which finalized the code of conduct after soliciting views of the political parties, prohibited giving of any donation by candidates to any institution in their respective constituency during the election campaign.

It allowed taking out of processions, but with the caveat that such processions should be regulated and the advice of the police on duty given heed.

The code lists twenty-one restrictions as compared to the thirty-three contained in the previous code enforced for the 1997 elections.

The political parties and contesting candidates would have to follow the following restrictions:

(1) The political parties shall not propagate any opinion, or act in any manner prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan, or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or morality, or the maintenance of public order, or the integrity or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary or the armed forces of Pakistan, as provided under Article 63 of the Constitution.

(2) Criticism of other political parties, when made, shall be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work. Parties and candidates shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties. Criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or on distortion shall be avoided.

(3) Political parties and contesting candidates may announce their overall development programme. But following the announcement of the election schedule till the day of polling, no candidate or any person on his behalf shall, openly or in secret, give any subscription or donation, or make promise for giving such subscription or donation, to any institution of their respective constituency or to any other institution, nor shall commit to undertake any development project in the respective constituency.

(4) All parties and candidates shall scrupulously avoid all activities which are “corrupt practices” and offences under the election law such as the bribing of voters, intimidation of voters, canvassing within 400 yards of a polling station, holding public meetings 48 hours before the time fixed for the close of polls.

(5) The right of every individual for peaceful and undisturbed home life shall be respected, however much the political parties or candidates may resent his political opinion or activities. Organising demonstrations or picketing before the houses of individuals by way of protesting against their opinion or activities shall not be resorted to under any circumstances.

(6) No political party or candidate shall permit his followers to make use of any individual’s land, building, compound wall etc., without his permission for erecting flagstaffs, suspending banners, pasting notices, writing slogans, etc.

(7) Political parties and candidates shall ensure that their supporters do not create obstructions in or break up meetings and processions organized by the other parties. Workers or sympathizers of one political party shall not create disturbance at public meetings organized by another political party.

(8) Processions shall not be taken out by one party along places at which meetings are being held by another party. Posters issued by one party shall not be removed by workers of another party.

(9) The party or candidates shall inform the local administration of the venue and time of any proposed meeting well in time so as to enable the police to make necessary arrangements for controlling traffic and maintaining peace and order.

(10) A party or candidate shall ascertain in advance if there are any restrictive or prohibitory orders in force in the place proposed for the meeting. If such orders exist, they shall be followed strictly. If any exception is required from such orders, it shall be applied for and obtained well in time.

(11) Organisers of a meeting shall invariably seek the assistance of the police on duty for dealing with persons disturbing a meeting or otherwise attempting to create a disorder. Organisers themselves shall not take action against such persons.

(12) A party or candidate organizing a procession shall decide beforehand the time and place of the starting of the procession, the route to be followed and the time and place at which the procession will terminate. There shall ordinarily be no deviation from the programme. The organisers shall give advance intimation to the local police authorities of the programmes so as to enable them to make necessary arrangements.

(13) The organisers shall ascertain if any restrictive orders are in force in the localities through which the procession has to pass, and shall comply with the restrictions unless exempted specially by competent authority. Any traffic regulations or restrictions shall also be carefully adhered to.

(14) The organisers shall take steps in advance to arrange for passage of the procession so that there is no blockade or hindrance to traffic. If the procession is very long, it shall be organized in segments of suitable lengths, so that at convenient intervals, especially at points where the procession has to pass road junctions, the passage of held-up traffic could be allowed by stages thus avoiding heavy traffic congestion.

(15) Processions shall be so regulated as to keep as much to the right of the road as possible and the direction and advice of the police on duty shall be strictly complied with.

(16) If two or more political parties or candidates propose to take processions over the same route or parts thereof at about the same time, the organisers shall establish contact well in advance and decide upon the measures to be taken to see that the processions do not clash or cause hindrance to traffic. The assistance of the local administration shall be solicited for arriving at a satisfactory arrangement. For this purpose, the parties shall contact the local administration at the earliest opportunity.

(17) The political parties or candidates shall exercise restraint to the maximum extent possible in the matter of processionists carrying articles which may be put to misuse by undesirable elements, especially in moments of excitement.

(18) All political parties and candidates shall (i) co-operate with the officers on election duty to ensure peaceful and orderly polling and complete freedom to the voters to exercise their franchise without being subjected to any obstruction; (ii) supply to their authorized workers suitable badges or identity cards; (iii) agree that the identity slips supplied by them to voters shall be on plain (white) papers and shall not contain any symbol, name of the candidate or the name of the party.

(19) Political parties should carry out a comprehensive plan for education of voters on how to mark the ballot paper and cast votes.

(20) Barring the voters, candidates or duly authorized election agents, no one without a valid pass from the Election Commission or Provincial Election Commissioner concerned or District Returning Officers shall enter the polling booths. However, the Commonwealth/European Union and other recognized bodies will be provided free access to witness the election process on production of the identification cards/passes issued to them by the aforesaid Election Commission authorities.

(21) Section 83A of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 lays down that (i) No person or political party shall affix hoarding, posters or banners larger than the sizes mentioned hereunder: (a) Posters 2’ x 3’ (b) Hoarding 3’ x 5’ (c) Banners 3’ x 9’. The local authority and the Returning Officer shall be responsible for the effective implementation of the provisions of this section.

(22) Use of stickers of the size 4” x 4” and leaflets/handbills of the size 9” x 6” shall also be allowed.