Election Commission Bans Mobile phones inside Polling Stations

Election Commission Bans Mobile phones inside Polling Stations

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday prohibited carrying mobile phones at the polling booths to ensure smooth and transparent conduct of polls at the polling stations.

According to ECP, the decision of banning mobile phones will safeguard against any manipulation of the polling process by the use of mobile phones at the polling booths.

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• The ECP has decided that each presiding officer will ask the voter if he is carrying a mobile phone. In case the answer is affirmative, the presiding officer will direct the voter to place the mobile on his table and thereafter, ballot paper will be issued to the voter who, after marking the same in screened off compartment, will insert his folded ballot papers in the ballot boxes and only then the mobile of that voter will be returned to him.

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It has been decided that if a voter refuses to hand over his mobile to the presiding officer, he may not be given the ballot paper. All the District Returning Officers, Returning Officers and Presiding Officers have been informed for strict compliance.