ECP proceedings: PM’s son-in-law summoned over breach of poll code

Poll body likely to conclude case on women vote bar on May 29

ISLAMABAD: The election authorities have summoned Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar, the son-in-law of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, over alleged violation of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) code of conduct in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) where local government (LG) polls are scheduled to be held on May 30.

A candidate for district council Mansehra, the hometown of Safdar, had filed a petition against the PM’s son-in-law and a candidate backed by him for the district council seat.

Captain Safdar and the candidate for whom he was running the campaign purportedly have been asked to appear before the commission on May 29, just a day before the polls.

Safdar is a member of the National Assembly and under the new rules no parliamentarian or member of any of the four provincial assemblies can campaign for any candidate for any by-elections or LG polls.

Earlier, the ECP had served notices to JI Ameer Sirajul Haq and many other key officials in K-P – all of them submitted their apologies. PTI chief Imran Khan had to cancel his plan of rallies in the province after he received notices from the poll supervisory body.

Besides Safdar, MPA Al Haj Ibrar Hussain has been summoned on May 28 on the same charges. An MNA from Hangu, Khial Zaman has also been summoned for hearing on May 28 to defend charges against him.

Women vote bar

Resuming hearing of the case regarding media reports that women were barred from voting in a by-election in Lower Dir on May 7, the ECP recorded the statements of human rights activists and others.

Tahira Abdullah and Bushra Gohar, former MNAs, told the commission that not a single woman in the provincial assembly seat PK-95 has exercised her right to vote.

“It is inconceivable that the entire registered women voters belonging to different parties would unanimously decide not to vote,” Gohar said.

The chief secretary, district administration and returning officers also submitted their written affidavits, denying knowledge of any overt or covert agreement to stop women from vote.

Despite all the evidences, the ECP is in a fix to decide the case since under the existing system the poll body does not maintain the record of votes for men and women separately.

The commission will resume and likely to conclude the case on May 29 after cross examining all the stakeholders who submitted their statements in the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2015.