Citing its new Code of conduct for media, the Election Commission fo pakistan

earlier this week asked Pemra to prohibit TV channels from airing the results of
opinion surveys, arguing that "these can influence the free choice of voters". This
appears to be an overly conservative view of what is other wise a seemingly harm
enumeration exercise that is conducted widely around the world n the run-up to
elections. Surveys are used to gauge public sentiment and predict the outcomes of
different electoral contests. They not only provide election observers with a means
to better evaluate results based on pre-existing data, but they also act as a
safeguard against pulic references point against which the freeness and fairness of
the overall exercise can be judged after the polls. if defies altogether instead of
introducing measures to ensure tat they are not misused.
Clause 12 of the ECP's Code of Conduct states that traditional media, as wwell as
social media influencers, shoudl refrain from conducting entrance or exit polls
"or any kind of survey" at "polling stations or constituency (sic)". While the
restriction on election day polling, especially at busy polling stations, is still
understandable, it seems excessive to expand the restriction to entire
constituencies and well before the election as well. Indeed, those inclined to take
a more conspiratorial view have been saying that the ECP's decision to ban surveys
altogether is, in fact, aimed at suppressing mentions of the PTI's popularity,
which has proven rather resilient. Instead of bannning, the ECP may consider
issuing guidelines through which it may denand a greater degree of accuracy,
technical rigour and more transparency regarding how each survey is designed and
conducted. Banning them outright will deny observers important about an exercise
whose fairness is already under debate.