ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser has sought time till tomorrow (Wednesday) from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to file reply in the matter related to his leaked audiotape controversy.
A representative of the speaker NA, on Monday, appeared on his behalf before District Monitoring Officer (DMO) Swabi Mazhar Hussain in connection with the leaked audio scandal.
He sought time from the DMO till December 15 on the pretext that the authenticity of the audiotape needed to be verified from the authorities concerned.
The DMO accepted this request and granted him time till Wednesday. Last week, the DMO Swabi took notice of an audiotape wherein the speaker NA was allegedly heard persuading voters to support his party—Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)— in upcoming local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, scheduled, December 19, and was allegedly assuring development packages to the LG polls candidates.
“It has come to the knowledge of the undersigned through reliable sources and electronic media that there is an audio of yours wherein you (are) appealing (to) the voters in the form of development projects,” reads a notice issued by the DMO Swabi to speaker NA last week for alleged violation of electoral code of conduct, summoning him on September 13.
The DMO Swabi wrote another letter to Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) with the request to carry out a forensic analysis of the audiotape and track its origin, latest by December 15.
On Friday, the electoral body announced to have imposed fines on a dozen political bigwigs—11 lawmakers and a provincial advisor— including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Federal Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani, KP Transport Minister Shah Muhammad Khan and others— for electoral code of conduct violation ahead of KP LG polls.
Bilawal, Gandapur, Ghani and Shah Muhammad were among the lawmakers who were fined 50,000 rupees each by the DMOs concerned for violating LG polls code of conduct.
In addition, KP Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra, PTI Member National Assembly (MNA) Sher Ali Arbab and PTI KP Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Asif Khan have been summoned today (Tuesday) for electoral code of conduct violation. PTI MNA Shahid Ahmad Khattak has been summoned tomorrow (Wednesday). Others legislators are also being summoned for alleged LG polls code of conduct violation.
The ECP sources said action against Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet members, who visited Peshawar on Wednesday, is also under consideration. In a letter, Wednesday, directly addressed to the PM, by DMO Peshawar Saeed Ahmed Khan, the latter referred to a media report suggesting that the PM was expected to visit Peshawar on Wednesday to launch Pakistan Card Initiative.
The letter reminded the premier of ECP’s notification from November 4 that barred all executive authorities and other public office holders from visiting any area where LG elections were taking place and announcing any development scheme, after the issuance of elections schedule.
“In view of the above, you are advised not to violate any provision of the code of conduct and instructions issued by the election commission, otherwise, legal proceedings under Section 233 and 234 of Elections Act 2017 shall be initiated against you,” the letter reads.
The ECP can impose a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 on anyone found guilty of violating the electoral code of conduct, in exercise of its powers under Section 234 (3) of Elections Act 2017. The ECP has the powers to disqualify any candidate from contesting LG polls if he/she is found violating electoral code of conduct more than once, under Section 234 (4) of Elections Act 2017.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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