ECP issues show-cause notice to PTI’s Firdous Ashiq Awan

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 06 Jan 2023

On Saturday, the Election Commission of Pakistan issued show-cause notices to PTI’s Firdous Ashiq Awan and PML-Q Vice-President Chaudhry Saleem.

A notification issued by the electoral body stated that the leaders visited Daska on April 9 and announced a development package for the constituency which is a “clear violation of Para 42 of the Code of Conduct issued by ECP.

According to the code, political parties, candidates, their supporters, or elected representatives cannot announced or inaugurate development schemes or do anything which “tends to influence results of an election in favor of or against a particular candidate or election or political party after the announcement of the elections till the day of polling”.

The leaders have been given two days to submit their response on the matter.

Polling for by-elections in NA-75 in Sialkot’s Daska started at 8 am and will continue till 5 pm. A tight contest is being expected between Nosheen Iftikhar of PML-N and PTI’s Ali Asjad Malhi.

The by-election on the vacant seat was held on February 19 before the 2021 Senate Election. The results were, however, challenged by the members of the opposition. The PML-N accused the PTI of attempting to rig the elections after some presiding members ‘went missing‘ during the vote count. The officers came to the ECP on February 20 morning with the results and claimed that they left early because the fog was too dense.

The PML-N challenged the results in the Election Commission and the electoral body ordered re-polling in the entire constituency.

PTI’s Asjad Ali Malhi, who contested the by-election, approached the Supreme Court and challenged the ECP’s February 25 decision. He said that the commission did not review the record completely and its decision is not based on facts. The verdict should, therefore, be declared null and void. His petition was dismissed.