ECP bars Punjab govt from making new appointments in Lodhran

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan has barred the Punjab government from issuing appointment letters to candidates for 40 posts of class-four in Lodhran in view of bye-election in NA-154 on February 12.

The Election Commission said that the Deputy Director Colleges Lodhran Qasim Raza was summoned by the district returning officer and given orders in writing to halt appointments. The NA-154 seat had fallen vacant following the disqualification of MNA Jahangir Khan Tareen of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf last month by the Supreme Court, whose son Ali Tareen is now PTI’s candidate for the by-election.

The provincial government had conducted interviews of the candidates from across the district on July 13 last year. However, the notification of the successful candidate for appointment was not issued afterwards.

But the other day, signatures were obtained on appointment letters of the candidates from the principals of Lodhran colleges and were to be issued to them within a day or two. As per the Election Commission rules and the code of conduct, appointments, postings and transfers, among other activities, are banned in a constituency, where an electoral exercise is to be held in a specified time.

However, against the issuance of appointment letters, Syed Nasruddin Shah Principal Degree College Gogran filed an application in the office of the returning officer, who in the light of that, summoned the deputy director colleges and ordered halt of the process till the election process is over.