Violations of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) code of conduct for candidates and parties once reported would now be easily accessible to the relevant authorities.
The Code of Conduct Violation Monitoring System, developed by the Urban Unit of the Planning and Development Department, employs Android applications to document violations and makes the reports available to town municipal officers concerned and police officers concerned as well as designated authorities at the Urban Unit, Home Department and the ECP. Judicial officers authorised by monitoring teams will report rallies without permission, display or use of arms, use of loudspeakers, wall checking, oversize banners, posters and boards.
The inspector general of police, home secretary and the Urban Unit officials will have online access to the reports submitted by the judicial officers.
Field monitors would use an Android application to report location of the violation and the photographs in real time. The data would appear on a map.
An SMS would be sent to the town municipal officer or police officer concerned to take action against the violation. The TMO and the police officials concerned have been instructed to visit the sites immediately and remove the violation. In case of firing for instance, the candidate would be reported to the area police station. The TMO or the police official would send a confirmation SMS to the monitoring desk on reaching the scene.
The map, available to the IGP, the Home Department and Urban Unit officials, would also show the status of the violation (removed or continuing).
The divisional commissioners and regional police officers will have the rights to view all the reports in their division, district coordination officers and district police officers in their districts and assistant commissioners and tehsil municipal officers in their tehsils. The system is likely to be activated next week.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2013.