ECP serves notice to Imran Khan

PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has served notice to former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for not submitting details of expenses in by-elections, ARY News reported.

According to details, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hear the case regarding non-payment of election expenses on December 13.

The electoral watchdog, in its notice, stated that Imran Khan did not submit the details of expenses in by-elections of six constituencies. The former premier only submitted the details of election expenses for the Charsadda constituency as the successful candidate and that too after the due date of submission.

According to the law, details of expenses have to be submitted within three days after the election. The ECP has also not yet issued the notification of Imran Khan’s success over non-payment of expenses.

The case against the PTI Chairman was forwarded by the returning officers (ROs).

A day earlier, the Supreme Court of Pakistan heard the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) petitions over contempt proceedings against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and other party leaders.

A three-member bench heard the ECP’s petitions seeking to transfer all cases of PTI leaders against its contempt proceedings from different high courts to a single one.

“These cases are under hearing at the Lahore High Court, Sindh High Court and Islamabad High Court,” the ECP said in its petitions.

The ECP in its petitions has also pleaded to the apex court to lift the stay orders issued by high courts against the electoral watchdog’s contempt notices to PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry.

The ECP in its six petitions had urged the top court to transfer all its contempt cases against PTI leaders from different high courts to a single one.

The commission argued that it had issued contempt notices to PTI chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan as well as other party leaders including Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry in the months of August and September. However, these notices were challenged in high courts.

In set of petitions, the ECP argued that the high court orders were illegal and unlawful having effectively suspended Section 10 of the Elections Act, 2017, by restraining the ECP from taking ‘adverse action’ against PTI leaders.