PTI candidate served contempt notice

Accused of harassing a female returning officer inside court

PESHAWAR:

Peshawar High Court has served contempt of court notice on a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate from PK-73.

The PTI-backed independent candidate Ali Zaman Advocate is accused of harassing a female returning officer inside the court and forcing her to sign the form.

PHC also ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and others to submit comments to the court.

The polls rigging case was adjourned till Thursday.

PHC heard the case on Wednesday on the writ petition of Ali Zaman Advocate who challenged the results of PK-73.

He was represented in the court by Ali Azeem Afridi Advocate while ECP counsel Mohsin Kamran Saqid and Barrister Syed Mudasar Amir and Barrister Yasin Raza Khan appeared on behalf of others.

The petitioner has taken the stance that he had taken part in elections from PK-73 as a candidate but the results were changed and he lost the polls as a result.

PHC issued notices to all parties in the case and said that returning officer PK-73 appeared before the court but during the break it was brought to the court’s notice that petitioner Ali Zaman Advocate harassed the returning officer and mistreated her. He also forced her to sign a blank paper inside the court.

The police official deployed at the court saved the female returning officer. The petitioner’s attitude constituted a breach of code of conduct as well as contempt of court.

The court served a notice on the petitioner and asked him to submit his position.

The court later adjourned the hearing of the case till February 15 (Thursday).

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th 2024.