islamabad - The three weeks election campaign for general elections 2013 came to end Thursday midnight with all the political parties and independent candidates convincing voters through last day speeches and rallies to cast votes in their favour on May 11.
The election commission barred the electronic and print media from airing and publishing election advertisements and restrained the candidates from addressing public meetings or carrying out rallies. For the polling day, the ECP has restricted every political activity within a radius of 400yards of the polling station declaring it an offence punishable with fine up to Rs1,000.
The commission also barred contesting candidates or those representing any political party or candidate from participating in the talk shows or other TV or Radio programmes. However, the electronic media is allowed to invite electoral experts, anchors, analysts, writers, journalists, observers, or members from the civil society in talk shows or other TV or Radio programmes.
On the last day of campaigning, special election rallies and corner meetings were arranged in all parts of the country with pledges to change the plight of the masses if voted to power.
The two main players – PTI and PML-N – held their final shows. From his hospital bed in Lahore, PTI chief Imran Khan ‘spoke from his heart’ to a rally in Islamabad, while Nawaz Sharif addressed a public meeting at Data Darbar, Lahore.
Nearly 10,000 candidates from various political parties including PPPP, PTI, PML-N, PML-F, MQM, ANP, BNP, JI, JUI-F, JUI-S and JUI-N and dozens of independents candidates are in the election race. The number of registered voters in the country is 86,189,802. People will use their right to vote for choosing 272 members of National Assembly, 297 representatives for Punjab, 130 for Sindh, 99 for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 51 for Balochistan assemblies.
The ECP has made all arrangements to ensure free, fair and transparent elections on May 11. Polling would be conducted from 8am to 5pm without any break. Around 350 observers from 12 countries, largely from European Union, have already reached Pakistan to monitor polls.
Unlike the past, the run up to the 2013 elections was characterized by widespread violence, mostly terrorist attacks targeting election rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh and Fata regions, which claimed more than one hundred lives including those of some contesting candidates. Therefore, Army along with police and semi military contingents has chalked out tight security plans for elections and thousands of cops have been deployed throughout the country.
News Soruce: http://www.nation.com.pk
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