NA 120: PTI informs ECP of reservations over code of conduct violations

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday met the secretary of Election of Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and conveyed the party’s reservations over continuous violation of its code of conduct by the ruling PML-N in NA-120 constituency.

The PTI leader asked the ECP secretary to take appropriate action against the PML-N leaders for violating the code of conduct.

Citing Provincial Food Minister Bilal Yaseen’s case pending before the ECP, Qureshi said the PML-N leaders were frequently visiting the constituency and development work was also underway in the area. The provincial government is using state resources to rally support for its candidate, he added.

A day earlier, the commission had warned Bilal Yaseen that he may be disqualified from the membership of the provincial assembly if found violating its code of conduct for the by-election in the NA-120 Lahore constituency.

A two-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza, heard the complaint against the provincial minister for allegedly violating the ECP’s code of conduct.

Fuming at the absence of Yasin, the bench warned him that it would issue a show-cause notice to the minister for his disqualification if he found violating the code of conduct. It directed him to submit his reply until Sept 07 (tomorrow).

Earlier, the ECP had issued notices to retired Capt Muhammad Safdar, Bilal Yasin, Pervaiz Malik, Majid Zahoor for allegedly using government machinery in violation of the code of conduct during election campaign for Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, the PML-N’s candidate for the NA-120.

In its code of conduct, the ECP had restrained the PML-N leaders in federal and provincial governments from using state resources for rallying support for the party candidate.

It had warned that if any person found misusing his official position in any manner to influence the result of the election, he/she might be tried by a sessions court as contemplated under Section 95 of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) 1976, and if proved guilty, he/she could face a jail term up to two years.

The NA-120 seat fell vacant after the disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif by the apex court in a landmark verdict in Panama Papers case.