Pneumonia continues to take a heavy toll on children as 12 kids reportedly died during the last 24 hours across Punjab on Friday, taking the total number of deaths to 220 since Jan 1. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a public advisory, cautioning individuals about the proliferation of fake calls on WhatsApp. In an official statement, the ECP advised individuals who receive suspicious calls or messages purporting to be from senior officers of the ECP or any other high-ranking ECP official to verify the authenticity through a landline by directly contacting the official of the ECP. “There have been reports of a series of fake calls and messages impersonating the Chief Election Commissioner,” it said. Moreover, the advisory was extended to the ECP’s own members, including district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs).

The ECP emphasized that these members should refrain from taking any action on calls or messages until they have been thoroughly verified by the Chief Election Commissioner’s staff officer. The ECP urged the entire election staff, including DROs and ROs, to strictly adhere to these guidelines and avoid immediate action on calls or messages until complete verification. Meanwhile, an election candidate could not display picture of a government official on posters, banners and hand bills, ECP sources said. According to sources, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a circular to provincial election commissioners prohibited printing of picture of a government officer on posters, banners and handbills of an election candidate. The ECP has directed in circular to take action against the candidates using government officers’ pictures. “It will be violation of clause 27 of the election code of conduct”.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)