ECP suspends Hamza’s power relief scheme

CEC says such programmes make by-elections ‘controversial'

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday suspended the Punjab government’s scheme of not collecting electricity bills from consumers that use less than 100 units under the Roshan Gharana programme until July 17 -- the date for by-polls for 20 vacant seats of the provincial assembly.

The notice of the case sent to Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz was heard in the ECP, by a three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, on the basis of a violation in the code of conduct in connection with the by-elections.

Hamza's lawyer Khalid Ishaq told the electoral watchdog that the programme worth Rs100 billion was not related to the by-elections, rather, it was announced in the provincial budget.

He added that the scheme would not only benefit the constituents of the areas where the by-elections were being held, but nine million people of the province.

The CEC inquired as to why the programme was announced again if it had already been introduced in the budget.

Hamza’s counsel claimed that because of the hike in inflation, the programme was announced a second time to include consumers using 50 and 100 units of power.

The Sindh Election Commission member maintained that making announcements such as this would be considered an attempt to impact the elections, to which Hamza’s lawyer replied that the Punjab chief minister would have never increased fuel prices if he truly wanted to impact the polls.

“Raising the price of fuel is not the prerogative of the provincial government,” the member replied.

Read ECP summons Hamza for violating poll conduct

During the hearing, the director-general of law for the ECP said that the function of the commission was to provide a level playing field to all parties and that the Punjab government's programme was an attempt to influence the upcoming by-elections.

“There are 10 days left in the by-elections. This programme should be stopped,” he added.

The Punjab chief minister's counsel, however, stated that the programme would benefit consumers in August.

Subsequently, the CEC suspended the Punjab government’s Roshan Gharana programme till July 17, maintaining that action would be taken for violating the code of conduct.

“Therefore, the development programme should not be announced until the by-elections. The ECP rejects all propaganda to make the by-elections controversial,” he added.

The CEC emphasised that elections would be transparent in the 20 constituencies of Punjab.

Raja further added that the provincial government should start the Roshan Gharana programme after the by-elections on July 17.

In May, the ECP had issued a notification for de-seating of dissident PTI MPAs – 20 on general seats, three on reserved seats for women and two on reserved seats for minorities under Article 63-A of the Constitution for voting against the party line in the election of the chief minister.

The decision was announced on a reference sent to it by the Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.

The votes of the 25 dissident PTI lawmakers were instrumental in the election of Hamza, a PML-N candidate, who received 197 votes in the 371-strong house. For the election of the chief minister, the candidate needs at least 186 votes.