By-election in Multan: ECP rejects Punjab govt’s plea to defer polls

Also decides to deploy Rangers in addition to police during October 16 by-elections


Our Correspondent October 14, 2014

ISLAMABAD:


The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday rejected the Punjab government’s plea to postpone by-polls in the National Assembly constituency NA-149 in Multan.


The seat had fallen vacant after Makhdoom Javed Hashmi quit Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after falling out with the party chief Imran Khan.

Authorities in Punjab had sent a request to the provincial election commissioner to postpone the polls after the deaths of seven PTI supporters in a deadly stampede during a party rally in Multan.

The Punjab election commissioner forwarded the provincial government’s request to the ECP headquarters, where the commission rejected the plea and decided to go ahead with the polls as per schedule on October 16.

Meanwhile, the election authorities have decided to deploy paramilitary Rangers soldiers – in addition to police –during the October 16 by-elections. A letter was sent out by the ECP in this regard to the interior ministry, officials confirmed.



Hashmi is once again contesting from the same constituency as an independent candidate. However, it is believed that now the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and some other groups are backing him.

250 MNAs yet to file asset details

The ECP has also announced that it will temporarily stop lawmakers – who do not submit details of their assets by October 15 – from performing their duty.

According to the latest updates released by the ECP, a total of 886 lawmakers have submitted details of their assets with the commission so far.

Under the law, every member of Senate, National Assembly and four provincial assemblies is bound to file details of their assets, as well as the assets of their spouse and dependent children by September 30 every year.

However, even two weeks after the deadline, around 250 members – including K-P Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak, PTI MNA Asad Umar, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl leader Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch – have not submitted their details.

ECP officials said the commission would write a letter to the Senate chairman, National Assembly speaker and speakers of all provincial assemblies to stop the members –if they do not file details by October 15.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2014.

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