Election authorities serve notice to Talal Chaudhry ahead of Faisalabad by-poll

 

FAISALABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a notice to Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry for allegedly violating the election code of conduct during his visit to constituency PP-116. The development comes ahead of the by-election scheduled for November 23, ARY News reported.

The action was taken following a complaint filed by the District Election Commissioner, with District Monitoring Officer Murtaza Malik overseeing the proceedings. The monitoring officer has directed Talal Chaudhry to submit a written explanation within two days regarding the alleged violations.

During his visit to PP-116, Minister Talal Chaudhry addressed the media, an act that reportedly prompted the notice from election authorities. A detailed report on the matter will also be forwarded to the Election Commission in Islamabad for further review.

The by-election in PP-116 was necessitated following the vacancy created due to the disqualification of PTI MPA Ismail Sehlaki.

The Election Commission has emphasized strict adherence to the code of conduct and warned all candidates and political representatives to avoid any actions that could compromise the fairness of the upcoming poll.

Earlier, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry lashed out at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, accusing him of incompetence and deliberate political theatrics aimed at pleasing his party’s founder.

Addressing a press conference, Talal Chaudhry claimed that Sohail Afridi was “intentionally appointed as a weak chief minister to stage dramas and blackmail the state”. He said changing the chief minister would not stop Pakistan’s counterterrorism campaign, stressing that “this war will continue under the National Action Plan — what needs to change is the mindset, not the leadership.”

Talal Chaudhry revealed that the federal government had provided modern bulletproof vehicles to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, but the provincial government refused to accept them, calling them “old.” He said each bulletproof vehicle is worth around Rs 100 million and is equipped with international-standard security features.

“The same vehicles are used by federal ministers, security officials, and even the interior minister himself,” Chaudhry noted, adding that “many officers across Pakistan still use even older vehicles.”