The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken strict notice of an incident in Faisalabad where a voter photographed their ballot paper and shared it on social media, terming it a clear violation of the secrecy of vote.

Following the incident, the ECP’s central control room issued immediate instructions to security agencies to ensure that no voter carries a mobile phone inside polling stations under any circumstances.

Presiding officers in the concerned constituency were also directed to strictly enforce all procedures to protect ballot secrecy. The ECP said all polling staff must ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the voting process.

The ECP spokesperson appealed to voters to cooperate with polling staff and avoid bringing mobile phones to polling stations.

The incident occurred as by-elections are being held today in six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly constituencies across the country.

Meanwhile, polling was briefly suspended in Muzaffargarh’s PP-269 after a clash broke out at Polling Station No. 103 due to a shortage of ballot papers.

According to election officials, nearly 300 ballot papers were found missing against the required 2,300 for registered voters, leading to a heated dispute between supporters of PPP candidate Alamdar Qureshi and independent candidate Iqbal Pitafi. The situation escalated into a scuffle, forcing authorities to temporarily halt polling.

Officials later brought the situation under control within minutes. Polling resumed shortly afterward at Polling Station Karamdad, with the Provincial Election Commission terming it a minor interruption. Security in the area has been tightened as voting continues under close monitoring.