ECP bars media from early results as by-polls being held in 13 constituencies tomorrow

• Electoral watchdog says only ROs authorized to announce official results, warning against violation of instructions
• Polling scheduled from 8am to 5pm for by-elections in 6 NA and 7 PA seats across KP and Punjab
• Pakistan Army deployed from Nov 22–24 to support election security

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday directed the media to refrain from broadcasting or publishing unofficial results of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab by-elections until at least one hour after the close of polls, warning that premature reporting could mislead the public.

The by-elections are scheduled for Sunday in 13 constituencies, including six National Assembly (NA) and seven Punjab Assembly (PA) seats.

In its statement, the ECP emphasized that only Returning Officers are authorized to announce official results and any results released after the stipulated time must be clearly marked as unofficial and incomplete. Violations of these instructions, the commission said, would be referred to the relevant authorities for disciplinary action. The final results for all constituencies will solely be issued by the concerned Returning Officer.

The ECP has finalized preparations for the Sunday by-elections, with extensive security and logistical arrangements in place to ensure transparent and orderly polling. The election campaign for these 13 National and Provincial Assembly constituencies concluded at midnight between November 21 and 22, and the commission reiterated that strict action would be taken against anyone violating the electoral code of conduct.

Polling will be held on Sunday (Nov 23) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. without interruption. The district administration, in coordination with the Election Commission, has ensured comprehensive arrangements for logistics, transport, and security to facilitate a smooth voting process.

For the National Assembly, voting will take place in NA-18 Haripur, NA-96 Faisalabad, NA-104 Faisalabad, NA-129 Lahore, NA-143 Sahiwal, and NA-185 D.G. Khan, while the Punjab Assembly polls will be held in PP-73 Sargodha, PP-87 Mianwali, PP-98 Faisalabad, PP-115 Faisalabad, PP-116 Faisalabad, PP-203 Sahiwal, and PP-269 Muzaffargarh.

These constituencies fell vacant following the disqualification of several lawmakers in connection with cases stemming from the May 9 events. To ensure security, the federal government has sanctioned the deployment of Pakistan Army personnel, who will be stationed in designated constituencies from November 22 to 24 as a reserve force supporting election security arrangements.