By-poll campaign: ECP gets notice in plea against canvassing directive

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court (LHC) issued a notice on Tuesday to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on a petition by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) challenging an ECP notification barring assembly members from participating in by-election campaigns.

Justice Ayesha A. Malik ordered the ECP to submit a reply by Wednesday (today).

PTI MPA Shoaib Siddique had challenged the notification and called it a violation of fundamental rights and norms of democracy.

Siddique, through his counsel Hamid Khan and Ahmed Awais, submitted that PTI chairman Imran Khan was an MNA and could not participate in the party’s by-poll campaigns due to the notification.

He said it was important for party leaders to visit constituencies and address their workers ahead of by-polls. He said the notification had affected the party’s campaign.

He called the notification unconstitutional and requested to the court to strike it down.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2015.