Pakistan’s election law empowers provincial governments to requisition private vehicles for election duty including for transporting election materials to and from polling stations. It also guarantees the owner compensation.

Few citizens know that on or before election day, a government official can lawfully take possession of their vehicle to transport election materials. Fewer still know that the same law guarantees them payment and a right of appeal if they believe the compensation is inadequate.

What does the law say?

Section 7(1) of the Elections Act 2017 empowers a Provincial Government, deputy commissioner, or head of district administration to requisition any vehicle, vessel, or other means of transportation needed to transport ballot boxes, election material, or election officials to and from polling stations.

The law places three important limits on this power. First, the request for requisitioning such vehicles must come from the ECP. Second, Section 7(2) prohibits requisitioning a vehicle being used by a candidate or their election agent for election purposes. Third, Section 7(4) requires that the owner of any requisitioned vehicle be paid compensation calculated on the basis of prevailing local hire rates.

If the owner disputes the amount, Section 7(5) provides a 30-day window to apply for arbitration — and the government must appoint an arbitrator agreed upon by both parties to determine the final figure.

Why does this matter?

This provision directly affects citizens running transport businesses, particularly in rural constituencies where election logistics are challenging and private transport is scarce. A vehicle owner who is not aware of this law may accept inadequate compensation or no compensation at all, simply because they do not know they are entitled to challenge the amount.

While the transport requisition is lawful, unpaid or underpaid requisition is not. If a government official takes your vehicle for election purposes, document the interaction, note the date and the official’s name, and submit your compensation claim — and if necessary, your arbitration request — within 30 days to the Provincial Government.

 Source: Elections Act 2017, Sections 7(1) to 7(5).

This post is part of FAFEN’s series on electoral literacy. Read more of this series here.