DG FIA not transferred as per SC order, ECP told

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Wednesday said that the Establishment Division had informed it that the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) could not be transferred as per the order of the Supreme Court for an important inquiry was being conducted.

The ECP, in a statement, dispelled the impression, given by certain political circles that no action was taken to remove the director general of the agency.

The ECP explained that a letter was written to the secretary of the Establishment Division on June 22 for a proposal on senior-level postings and transfers in FIA, the Intelligence Bureau and the Capital Development Authority.

The secretary of the Establishment Division informed the ECP that as per the order of the Supreme Court, director general FIA Bashir Memon could not be removed until an important inquiry was completed.

“And, because of this, he was not transferred. But to interpret it in any other way will be improper,” the ECP emphasised.

In another development, the ECP has taken serious notice of a contesting candidate declaring in a speech to his supporters in tehsil Jatoi of District Muzaffargah that giving vote to female candidates was harram.

Additional Director General Gender Affairs Nighat Siddique of the Election Commission has written to the deputy commissioner/district monitoring officer Qaiser Saleem to issue a show cause notice to the PML-N candidate from PP-275, who according to a report aired by a private TV, said that he during election campaign told his supporters in Jatoi that giving vote to women contestants/candidates was harram (forbidden).

The Election Commission said that his statement was a clear violation of the Elections Act, 2017 and the Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates and the Election Commission had taken serious notice of it. The district monitoring officer was asked to issue notice to the PML-N candidate and proceed in the matter as per the law under intimation to the Election Commission.

Meanwhile, the EC has extended the date to apply for postal ballot for persons with disabilities from July 05, 2018 to July 10, 2018. The previous date to apply for postal ballot for persons with disabilities was 5th July 2018. Extension of 5 days is made to facilitate maximum number of eligible voters to use this facility postal ballot, the EC announced here.