ECP issues more notices and warnings: Electioneering for LG polls in KP enters final stage

PESHAWAR: As the lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties continued to violate the Code of Conduct for the Local Government polls across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued notices and warnings to more politicians on Tuesday.

The campaigns of all the political parties and candidates have entered the final stage where rallies and corner meetings are being held daily in every city council, tehsil, village and neighbourhood council.

In the first phase of the LG polls in KP, elections are being held in Peshawar and 16 other districts on December 19. The polls in the rest of the province will be held in January in the second phase.

According to the ECP, as many as 37,752 candidates are in the run for different categories in the first phase of the polls. Among them 689 are competing to lead the city and tehsil councils while 19,282 candidates are in the run for the slot of nazim/general councillors in village and neighbourhood councils.

Besides, 3,905 candidates are flexing their muscles for the seats for woman councillors, 7,513 for peasant councillors, 6,081 for youth councillors and 282 for minority councillors. As the electioneering is at its peak, complaints of the violations of the Code of Conduct for the polls are being received from different districts almost daily.

The relevant District Monitoring officers (DMOs) in some cases issued warnings while others were summoned to explain their position. An ECP official said on Tuesday provincial minister Kamran Bangash and Member of the National Assembly Fazal Mohammad Khan were issued warnings by the DMO Charsadda after they submitted replies to an early notice.

Also, the DMOs concerned issued notices to federal minister Ali Ameen Gandapur, provincial minister Anwar Zeb and former chief minister and MNA Ameer Haider Hoti after complaints that they were involved in violation of the Code of Conduct.

Ali Ameen Gandapur was also fined Rs 50,000 by the DMO of Dera Ismail Khan last week. As per the Code of Conduct, no public office-holder, including the president, premier, governor, chief minister, speaker or Senate chairman, federal or provincial cabinet member, parliamentarian or any public office-holder shall visit an area, announce or inaugurate any developmental project or campaign for any candidate where polls are being held.

A maximum of Rs 50,000 fine has so far been imposed for the violation of the

Code of Conduct during the elections. Some of the politicians were warned that their cases will be referred to the ECP further action in case they were found involved in any violation for the second time. The ECP in the last few days imposed Rs 50,000 fine each on the chairman of the Pakistan People's Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, federal minister Ali Ameen Gandapur, Khurshid Shah, Saeed Ghani, Nisar Ahmad Khoro and Qadir Patel.

Besides, MPA Ahmad Karim Kundi has been fined Rs 30,000 and MPA Lutfur Rehman Rs 10,000. Among those, who were issued notices, included National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar, provincial ministers and other parliamentarians.