ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued another notice to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday for violating the electoral code of conduct during the second phase of local body elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) – scheduled to be held on March 31.
The premier was issued a notice by the district monitoring officer (DMO) Mansehra. The notice asks the premier to appear in person or through his counsel on March 28 at 11am.
This is the third notice issued by the ECP to PM Imran.
Earlier on March 23, the commission imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on the prime minister for addressing a rally in Swat on March 16 in violation of the election code of conduct issued for the local government election in K-P.
The ECP on March 15 had barred Imran from visiting Swat. Despite the directives, the PM addressed a gathering in the district.
According to the new ECP code of conduct, no public office holder can visit districts where elections are being held or scheduled for in the near future.
On March 19, the Islamabad High Court rejected Prime Minister Imran Khan and Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar’s plea to suspend the ECP’s notice issued to them for participating in a rally in Lower Dir in connection with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa local government elections.
The IHC also issued a notice to the ECP, directing it to appear before the court on March 28 and provide an explanation for issuing the notice. It has also summoned the attorney general for Pakistan for assistance in the matter.
The commission had summoned the premier on March 14, either in person or through his counsel. According to the ECP, the prime minister had violated Section 234 of the revised Elections Act, 2017.
