Candidates pay price for flouting code

Several candidates have been fined, issued show cause notices for violating ECP’s rules

BAHAWALPUR: Several candidates have been fined or have been issued show cause notices for violating the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) code of conduct.

The Bahawalpur Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ayub Khan imposed a Rs50,000 fine and issued a warning to Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) candidate for the provincial assembly Dr Rana Tariq. In addition to this, Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar, Mian Shoaib Awaisi and Qazi Adnan Fareed were fined Rs20,000 each.

Similarly, Khadija Aamir Waran of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) was issued a show cause notice. Meanwhile, in Ahmadpur East City, Makhdoom Pir Syed Muhammad Iftikhar Hassan Gillani from PTI was issued a show cause notice for printing Syed Salman Gillani’s photo.

Police, municipal corporation staff and election commission officers stripped posters, panaflexes and banners from former federal minister for education and professional training Balighur Rehman’s residence.

Further, Qazi Adnan Fareed, a candidate for the provincial assembly from the constituency PP-253, was conducting a corner meeting where Ahmadpur East City Councillor Muhammad Yusuf Khokar was also present, a direct violation of the code of conduct. Police arrested Khokar and have registered a case against him.

In Uch Sharif, Ehsan Laloo and Mohsin Laloo along with Arshad and Abubakar, were arrested for printing and displaying posters and panaflexes of their favourite political parties. Police have registered a case against the men.

Cases were also registered against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers Muhammad Ishaq and Abdul Qayyum.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2018.