ECP issues notices to PM, 141 others over election expenses

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday issued notices to 142 legislators, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, over election expenditure.

As many as 96 members of the National Assembly, 38 members of the Punjab Assembly and eight members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have been served with notices.

“The notices have been issued on non-fulfillment of the legal requirements and formalities, and the legislators have been asked to submit their reply to the notices within seven days,” sources in the ECP said. The Election Commission's political finance wing issued notices after finding irregularities in the details of expenses submitted by the lawmakers. Those, having been served with notices, include Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Speaker of Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan. The ECP had invited attention of returned candidates to the provision of 98 of the Election Act 2017, which inter alia provides that every returned candidate shall, within 10 days from the poll of an election, submit a return of the election expenses under section 134, and the Election Commission does not notify in the official gazette the result of a returned candidate, who fails to submit his/her return of election expenses. Hence, all the winning candidates are bound to submit their expenditure detail within 10 days of the polling while non-successful candidates are required to submit expenditure detail within 30 days.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has summoned a meeting on the Local Bodies election here on September 28, which will be presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Justice ® Sardar Muhammad Raza. The meeting will be attended among others, by members of the Election Commission as well as the Election Commission Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad. The forum will deliberate on problems with regards to the local government polls and solutions as well.