Ban on political advertisement on KMC properties sought

KARACHI: The Municipal Commissioner has sought a ban on political advertisement, including hoisting flags and banners, on properties belonging to Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) ahead of general elections, scheduled for Feb 8, ARY News reported

In a letter to Commissioner Karachi, Municipal Commissioner Afzal Zaidi observed that various political parties were using municipal infrastructure for “political purposes/ advertisement” by installing party flags and banners.

He also pointed out that an increase in political wall chalking was witnessed ahead of general elections, which according to him “gives an untidy look to the city but also adds to operational expenses of the council”.

Zaidi urged the Commissioner to instruct all political parties “not to use municipal infrastructure for political purposes and refrain from hoisting flags and banners on street light poles, pedestrian bridges, bridges & underpasses, gantries and other infrastructure”.

A day earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released official data, showing 3,240 candidates aspiring to contest elections at national and provincial levels had their nomination papers rejected by returning officers (ROs).

As per data released by the ECP, 1,024 candidates were denied eligibility to contest National Assembly elections. Additionally, 2,216 individuals, failed to secure approval for the provincial assembly race.

Out of 25,951 submissions, the ROs green-lighted 22,711 candidates. For the National Assembly, 6,449 candidates received approval, while 1,024 faced rejection.

The ROs accepted 16,262 nominations for various provincial assembly seats. Punjab witnessed the highest number of rejections (521) for National Assembly nominations, followed by Sindh (166), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (152), Balochistan (92), and Islamabad Capital Territory (93).