ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election regulator said on Tuesday legal action would be taken against media breaking a code of conduct issued for elections, urging it to avoid airing allegations prejudicial to the country’s security or that may harm “national solidarity.” 

The run-up to the Feb. 8 polls has been marred by allegations of pre-poll rigging, particularly by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party who say they are being sidelined from the electoral exercise. Khan, who was handed multiple jail sentences by Pakistani courts last week and is disqualified from contesting polls, accuses the powerful military of colluding with his political rivals to keep him and his party out of elections. Independent analysts have also voiced fears that three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s party has an edge over rivals due to the backing of the military. 

The military says it does not interfere in political matters and the caretaker government overseeing elections has said it has no favorites. 

A top UN rights body on Tuesday shared its concerns over what it said was a “pattern of harassment” of leaders and supporters affiliated with Khan’s party. 

“Electronic and print media will strictly implement the code of conduct,” the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said in a notification it issued on Tuesday. “And if it is violated, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) have been directed to take legal action.”

In the code of conduct for media released in October last year, the election watchdog instructed media to refrain from airing any opinion “prejudicial to the ideology, sovereignty, uprightness or security of Pakistan, public order or the integrity and independence of the judiciary.”

It also said that allegations and statements which may harm “national solidarity” or create a law-and-order situation during election campaigns and on polling day should be avoided by print, electronic and digital media. 

The code of conduct also bars broadcasters from airing polling results before an hour after the end of polling. Broadcasters are allowed to air results one hour after polling concludes with a “clear disclaimer” that the results are unofficial, incomplete and fractional, the code of conduct states. 

“In case of violation of this Code of Conduct, the Election Commission of Pakistan reserves the right to withdraw accreditation of an Individual journalist/Media Organization,” the ECP instructions read. “The authority to determine the violation also rests with the Election Commission of Pakistan.”