Candidate fined for code of conduct violation

PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan has imposed a fine of Rs20,000 on a candidate for violating the code of conduct ahead of the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8.

This marks the first instance during the current polls that any candidate has been fined for a violation of the code of conduct.

According to an official of the ECP, candidate Sanaullah from Swat was fined by the district monitoring officer for undertaking a developmental project involving the construction of a hanging bridge. The official stated that this action was considered a breach of the code of conduct, leading to the candidate being summoned and subsequently fined Rs20,000. The candidate promptly deposited the amount in the state exchequer.

Authorities recently removed several billboards from Peshawar and other areas that exceeded the size limits allowed by the ECP for the general polls.

Several former ministers and political leaders were also fined by the ECP for code of conduct violations during by-elections and local government polls in recent years. Some of these politicians immediately paid the fines, while a few refused to do so and were later declared defaulters.

In addition to former prime minister Imran Khan, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto, former chief minister Mahmood Khan, and numerous former federal and provincial ministers, senior politicians were among those fined by the ECP in recent years for violating the code of conduct in last by-polls and local government elections.

The ECP had imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on Imran Khan on at least three occasions in 2022 for violations of the code of conduct during the second phase of the local government polls.