ECP summons Hafiz Naeem for 'violating' election code of conduct

KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) summoned Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman for allegedly violating the election code of conduct, ARY News reported.

District monitoring officer Muhammad Saleem Abbasi summoned Hafiz Naeem to appear before the election watchdog on November 6 to submit his reply.

The notice issued to Hafiz Naeem specifically mentioned a ban on large gatherings and events in Gulberg Town ahead of the local government by-election. It added that ‘Bano Qabil’ test gathering was held on November 1 in the Gulberg locality of Karachi, which according to the ECP violated the electoral guidelines.

The ECP finalised a plan to establish three-tier Election Monitoring and Control Centres (EMCC) to oversee the local government by-elections in 26 Sindh districts being held on November 14.

The Election Monitoring and Control Centres (EMCC) will be set up at the provincial, divisional, and district levels to register to address public complaints of candidates and people.

According to an ECP official, all EMCCs will be activated 24 hours before the local government by-elections and will remain operational until the final result is announced.

The provincial election monitoring and control centre will oversee the electoral process round the clock from the office of the provincial election commissioner, while the regional election monitoring and control centre will monitor elections at the divisional level, managed by regional election commissioners, to ensure transparency and fairness in the upcoming local government by-elections.

At the district level, the EMCC will operate under the supervision of District Returning Officers to monitor and address complaints during the upcoming local government by-elections.