No ‘external pressure’ to proceed against Waheeda Shah: ECP

Dispels speculation that the Supreme Court had pressed the ECP into imposing the ban, cancelling by-poll results.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan has dispelled reports that the decision to bar Pakistan Peoples Party’s Waheeda Shah from contesting elections for two years was taken under external pressure.

On Wednesday, ECP had imposed the ban and cancelled the results of Tando Muhammad Khan by-polls during which Waheeda had slapped polling station staff. The incident, caught on camera, came into the notice of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of it.

“All actions were taken by the ECP on its own and without any external pressure,” said the official statement issued on Friday by the ECP, rejecting media speculation and remarks of a television newsanchor that the ECP had taken notice of the incident only due to pressure from the SC.

The statement reads that it is a matter of record that the ECP came into action the moment the incident came to its knowledge. “The incident attracted attention of three ECP members justices (retd) Riaz Kayani, Shahzad Akbar Khan and Fazalur Rehman. They immediately contacted the ECP secretary and asked him to direct the relevant district returning officer and returning officer, through the election commissioner of Sindh, to take immediate cognisance of the matter under Sections 86 and 86A of the Representation of the People Act 1976 and to send their reports regarding the incident,” the statement says.

The statement said that as February 26 was a Sunday, the three members met at the head office in Islamabad on February 27 and perused reports received by the provincial election commissioner, district returning officer and returning officer. They directed the returning officer to take immediate notice of the matter and the alleged violation of Sections 86 and 86A, hold an inquiry, hear versions of all parties and pass orders within seven days.

It goes on to state that official results of the by-election were also ordered to be withheld until the inquiry is complete in the stipulated seven days.

The same day, the chief election commissioner Justice (retd) Hamid Ali Mirza and Justice (retd) Mohammad Roshan Essani were in Karachi and directed that an FIR be registered against Waheeda Shah.

The CJP, it says, took notice on February 29 on the application of Anita Turab, an officer of the District Management Group, and fixed the matter for hearing on March 2. Representatives of the ECP also appeared before the court and apprised it about action taken by the commission.

The statement also states that, on a complaint filed on February 27 by another contesting candidate Mushtaq Ali Talpur, notices were issued to parties to appear before the commission on March 6 in Islamabad.