PHC stops ECP from taking action against KP CM

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday stopped the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from taking punitive action against Chief Minister Mahmood Khan.

A PHC bench comprising Justice Shakil Ahmad and Justice Arshad Ali heard the petition of the chief minister. Ali Gohar Durrani, Advocate appearing for the chief minister, told the court that the Election Act 2017 Section 34 had mentioned the code of conduct for the polls. He added that the ECP and the district monitoring officer had issued show-cause notices to the chief minister for attending a public gathering in Charsadda in connection with the by-election there. He said that the Act had mentioned the words political party and candidate so the chief minister neither represented a political party nor was he a candidate in the election. After hearing the arguments, the court stopped the ECP from taking action against the chief minister and asked the electoral body to submit its reply at the next hearing into the case.