ECP bars new development schemes by LGs, cantt boards

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has barred the local governments (LGs), including cantonment boards, from announcing new uplift schemes and froze their development funds across the country till the February 8 general elections results are announced.

According to a notification issued here, all the related functionaries in the provinces, including cantonments, would now perform their functions and attend day-to-day matters of sanitation and cleanliness necessary to run the affairs of local governments.

The ECP took the decisions regarding local governments in exercise of powers under Article 218(3) of the Constitution read with Section 4 and Section 8(c) of the Elections Act 2017 and all other powers enabling it in that behalf.

“…the Election Commission of Pakistan is charged with the constitutional duty to organise and conduct elections in terms of Article 218(3) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with the law and that corrupt practices are guarded against,” it read.

The electoral body emphasized it has become imperative that the ECP must take all necessary steps under the prevalent laws to prevent any action on the part of all local government institutions of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and cantonment boards in the whole country that amounts to influence the results of upcoming elections and to provide a level-playing field to political parties and contesting candidates.

The notification said the local government institutions would not announce/ execute any kind of development schemes except those which are ongoing and approved before the issuance of election programme vide notification dated December 15, 2023. Moreover, the local governments and cantonment boards would not issue tenders of such schemes till the culmination of general elections except with the prior approval of ECP.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday issued suspension orders of the returning officer of NA-44 for changing the poll symbol of a candidate without justification and formed a three-member inquiry panel on the issue.

According to the ECP, it came into the ECP notice that the returning officer of NA-44 Dera Ismail Khan allegedly misused his powers to change the election symbol of a candidate of his constituency without justification.

The commission, he explained, took immediate cognizance of the matter and conducted a preliminary inquiry which proved that the returning officer exceeded his powers. Taking immediate action, the commission replaced Returning Officer/Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Tariq Mehmood with Syed Gulfam Abbas Shah, additional deputy commissioner (F&P), Dera Ismail Khan. A related notification has been issued by the commission.

The commission also directed the chief secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to immediately suspend the said returning officer and report to the Establishment Division. In addition, the commission constituted a three-member committee headed by the provincial election commissioner Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to formally conduct an inquiry against the officer, which will be obliged to submit its report within six days.

The Peshawar High Court had called for taking action against the RO for changing the poll symbol of independent candidate Ali Amin Gandapur who enjoys the PTI support. He was initially allotted ‘queen’ as a symbol and then the RO changed it and allotted him ‘radio’. A tough contest is being anticipated in NA-44, where Gandapur, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and ex-deputy speaker NA Faisal Kundi are facing each other for poll bout.