ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) election candidate Nasir Cheema has been thrown out of electoral race for violating the code of conduct.
ECP took action after Nasir Cheema included pictures of Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nasir and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on his election posters.
The PTI candidate was contesting on provincial seat of PP-53 from Gujranwala. He was summoned by the ECP to submit a reply on a notice for breaching the rule.
On Monday, Cheema, along with his lawyer Gohar Ali Khan, appeared before a five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan and submitted a reply.
During the hearing, CEC asked the candidate:“Are they related to you? What is the army chief’s and CJP’s link to the elections? On what basis did you put up their pictures?”
The lawyer initially adopted a stance that the photos of Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had been shown on the posters after editing, which he said did not belong to his client’s electoral campaign. He however later said the posters in question were put up in solidarity with Supreme Court judge Justice Ijazul Ahsan after unknown gunmen opened fire on his residence in April.
After hearing all the arguments, the ECP panel reserved its verdict and later announced to disqualify the candidate from the electoral race for using pictures of the two prominent figures on his election posters.
