ECP Code Violations Continued through End of Campaign Period
This report is based on direct interviews of political party office-bearers conducted by District Long-Term Observers (DLTOs) deployed across the country by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). It has been compiled from data gathered between February 1 and 28, 2013, from 51 districts – Sindh (20 districts), Punjab (18), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (7), Balochistan (4), and one each in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the Frontier Regions (FRs). FAFEN DLTOs use a standardized interview format for discussions with political party office-bearers, including three questions on violence.
DLTOs conducted a total of 3,810 interviews with the office-bearers of various political parties. In 178 (4.6%) instances, the office-bearers reported acts of violence and/or intimidation against party workers. On the other hand, 3,550 office-bearers (93.1%) did not note incidents of violence or intimidation. Twenty respondents (0.5%) did not give answers, while these responses were missing in 62 reports (1.62%).
The largest number of reports of violence and/or intimidation were from Sindh (89, or 50%), followed by Punjab (60, or 33.7%), KP (16, or 8.98%), Balochistan (11, or 6.1%) and FATA and FRs (1 each, or 1%).
The 178 office-bearers reporting violence and/or intimidation against their party workers belonged to 24 separate political parties. Most office-bearers (28, or 15.7% of the total) belonged to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) who claimed incidents of violence and/or intimidation against their party workers, followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (24, or 13.5%), and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (14 each, or 15.7% combined). The remaining 98 responses (55% of the total) were by officebearers of other political parties including Awami National Party, Awami Tehreek, Balochistan National Party, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), Pakistan Muslim League (Q), Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party and others.
Among the 178 reports of violence and/or intimidation, 55 office-bearers said their workers were attacked, 94 party representatives reported acts of intimidation, and 29 political party office-bearers said their workers were stopped from campaigning.
For complete report, click here
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