Election Commission takes exception to candidate’s symbol

MANSEHRA: The Election Commission of Pakistan has taken notice of advertisement of a contender Mohammad Sajjad, the elder brother of an arrested leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, in which he showed lion as his election symbol without allotment by the returning officer of NA-14.

“The returning officer of NA-14 has not issued ‘lion’ symbol to Sajjad Ahmad but he has been advertising this unlawfully, this is why the election commission is going to take legal action against him,” Mohammad Zeb Khan, the district returning officer, told reporters here on Monday.

Sajjad, who was the covering candidate of his younger brother Capt (r) Mohammad Safdar, jumped into election race and started campaigning after the latter was convicted and imprisoned in Avenfield property case by order of an accountability court last week.

The returning officer NA-14 had awarded him the symbol of bed on June 29 while ‘lion’ symbol was issued to Safdar at that time. “How can one advertise such a symbol which is not awarded to him by the RO as case is still pending before the election commission,” said Khan. The district returning officer said that in such a situation, action could also be initiated against owner of the printing press and newspapers that advertised such a fake advertisement.