Punjab by-polls: ECP allows lawmakers to visit constituencies

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has granted permission to Senate, National Assembly (NA) and provincial lawmakers to visit constituencies ahead of Punjab by-polls, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The national and provincial lawmakers have been allowed to visit constituencies for electioneering for the candidates who are contesting by-polls on the vacant seats of Punjab.

A notification issued by the election commission read that the lawmakers were allowed to take part in election campaigns. The president, prime minister, Senate chairman, speaker, governors, chief ministers, advisers, mayors and nazims could not take part in the election campaigns, it added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that polling for by-election on 20 general seats of the Punjab Assembly will be held on July 17.

The ECP has announced the schedule for election on 20 provincial seats vacated after defecting MPAs of the PTI were de-seated.

According to the schedule, nomination papers for the by election could be submitted from June 04 to 07. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on June 11, the ECP stated.

The candidates will be announced as election symbols on June 24, while polling will be held on July 17.

The ECP had de-seated 25 dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPAs who voted for PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz Sharif in Punjab chief minister’s election.

The election body had reserved its verdict on the reference seeking disqualification of 25 dissident PTI MPAs of the Punjab Assembly. Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had sent references against 25 members including five members on reserved seats.

The dissident Punjab lawmakers include Abdul Aleem Khan, Nazir Ahmed Chohan, Uzma Kardar, Faisal Hayat, Raja Sagheer Ahmed, Malik Ghulam Rasool Sangha, Saeed Akbar Khan, Mohammad Ajmal, Mohammad Amin Zulqernain, Malik Nauman Langrial, Mohammad Salman, Zawar Hussain Warraich, Nazir Ahmed Khan, Fida Hussain, Zahra Batool, Mohammad Tahir, Aisha Nawaz, Sajida Yousaf, Haroon Imran Gill, Malik Asad Ali, Ijaz Masih, Mohammad Sabtain Raza, Mohsin Atta Khan Khosa, Mian Khalid Mehmood and Mehar Mohammad Aslam.