13 councillors summoned in disqualification plea

MANSEHRA: Chief election commissioner has summoned 13 tehsil councillors including tehsil nazim and five female councillors to appear before him on February 26 for defence in a disqualification plea moved by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

“We have moved the Election Commission seeking disqualification of our 13 tehsil councillors, who first nominated one of them as nominee for the slot of tehsil nazim and then voted him to that office against party line,” Zafar Mehmood, the district president of PML-N, told reporters on Thursday.

He said that those summoned to the Election Commission include Tehsil Nazim Umar Farooq, six tehsil councillors, five female councillors elected on seats reserved for women and a minority councillor.

Mehmood, citing reason behind approaching the ECP for disqualification of his party councillors, said that PML-N had nominated Zahid Aziz as contender for office of tehsil nazim in the by-election held on January 21 this year. However, the councillors facing disqualification violated section 78/A of Local Government Act 2013 and fielded one of them, Umar Farooq, as their contender and elected him with help of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. “The Election Commission has begun proceedings to unseat all 13 councillors as we have already ended their basic party membership,” he said.

Tehsil Nazim Umar Farooq said that they would defend themselves in the Election Commission of Pakistan.