ECP fines JUI-F’s DI Khan candidate

Party’s rallies also stopped by ECP

PESHAWAR:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has banned the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) rally in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and on Saturday imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on its candidate for the seat of city mayor.

According to The Express News deputy commissioner DI Khan has stopped the JUI-F rally in the city on the ground that the polling will be held on February 13 and holding a rally is violation of the code of conduct. JUI-F had asked for permission to hold large public rallies in connection with the local bodies polls in the city.

JUI had planned to hold rallies on Saturday and Sunday to be addressed by JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

On the other hand ECP has fined the candidate of the city mayor Kafil Nizami for inviting Fazlur Rehman’s brother Ziaur Rehman who is a government servant. Previously he had been asked to appear before the ECP on February 5.

ECP a few days ago ordered that federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur should be expelled from DI Khan after he was repeatedly found involved in violating the election code of conduct and his videos of campaigning for the party candidates made rounds on social media.

ECP has adopted a stricter line against those violating the code of conduct in recent days and even disqualified a Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) minister Shah Muhammad Wazir after he was found involved in attack at a polling station in Bakka Khel, Bannu a night before the local bodies’ elections. His son was also disqualified for five years and ECP ordered registration of FIR against his supporters and son.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2022.