ECP warns masses against fake accounts attributed to CEC Raja

ISLAMABAD: With the February 8 elections less than a half month away and electioneering activities on the rise, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Wednesday called on the masses to beware of fake accounts established in the name of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.

In a statement, the top electoral body said that it had come across a fake WhatsApp account provisioning CEC Raja's name and picture.

"People should be wary of fake messages and false propaganda," the ECP said while calling for the public to ignore WhatsApp accounts and propaganda attributed to the CEC.

The development comes as political activities have sped up — following the allotment of election symbols — taking pace with major political parties kicking off their election campaigns after much ado.

ECP's warning on fake accounts and propaganda comes in the backdrop of the fact that owing to the country's population comprising of the younger generation, social media platforms are likely to play a key role in the shaping of narratives as polls draw near.

The number of internet and social media users in Pakistan has witnessed a significant boost in recent years — hence increasing the risk of misuse of technology and social media.

As per a report from Digital Pakistan 2023, the number of internet users in Pakistan swelled to a record 87.35 million in January last year, showing a 4.4 million increase between 2022 and 2023.

The number of social media users also increased to a record 71.70 million in 2023, including 37.30 million users of Facebook, 71.70 million users of YouTube, 12.95 million on Instagram, and 16.51 million on TikTok.

Similarly, about 11.95 million people are using Facebook Messenger, 9.30 million Linkedin, 25.70 million Snapchat, and 4.65 million users of X — formerly Twitter — in the wake of an increase in mobile connections to 191.8 million in January 2023 in Pakistan.