Disqualification sought: Accused of violating election CoC

Bilal Rehman’s brother, a senator, has been using the government’s money for Bilal’s campaign, says opponents.

SHABQADAR: Two independent candidates for NA-36 seat (tribal areas) have sought the disqualification of another candidate from the region, accusing him of rigging the polls and violating the election code of conduct. In a public talk organised by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) at the Mohmand Press Club on Wednesday, candidates Malik Asghar Khan and Shah Sawar claimed candidate Bilal Rehman’s brother, a senator, has been using the government’s money for Bilal’s campaign. They claimed the ECP has taken no action against the brothers and demanded the authority disqualify Bilal. Jahanzeb Khan, a representative of Bilal denied the allegations and said the candidate was using his personal funds for the campaign. A member of the ECP, Usman Ali, said the ECP was not facilitating Bilal and asked Sawar and Malik to submit an application to the provincial ECP headquarters to investigate the issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2013.