Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday issued another show-cause notice to PTI Chairman Imran Khan after he failed to reply to the earlier notice pertaining to the contempt of court proceedings against him.

The ECP was hearing a contempt of court case filed by PTI’s one of founding members but dissident, Akbar S Babar, against the PTI chief.

Imran Khan had initially challenged maintainability of the contempt petition and raised objections over ECP’s jurisdiction to initiate contempt proceedings against him.

The ECP, however, on August 10 ruled that it had the jurisdiction to hear contempt case and issued another show-cause notice to the PTI chairman, directing him to submit reply by August 23.

On Tuesday, Babar Awan, the counsel for Imran Khan, had appeared before the five-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan and pleaded that he wanted to challenge the ECP’s verdict regarding the maintainability of the contempt petition, thus he needed more time to reply.

The ECP then decided to issue another show-cause notice to Imran Khan and adjourned further hearing until September 14.

On the other hand, the ECP issued notice to the Federal Commerce Minister Pervaiz Malik, directing him to submit within three days a written reply to Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) allegations that the ruling party was using state machinery in Begum Kulsoom Nawaz’s campaign for NA-120 by-polls.

The notice warned him to refrain from such activities (participate or use state machinery in Begum Kulsoom Nawaz’s election campaign) and also advised other MPAs to stop such activities so that NA-120 by-polls may be held in accordance with law.

Faisal Mir, PPP’s nominee for NA-120, had alleged that Pervaiz Malik and MNA Hamza Shehbaz, along with provincial ministers and lawmakers, were using the chief minister’s office to run the NA-120 election campaign for Begum Kulsoom Nawaz. He also alleged that Pervaiz Malik was spending government funds in the election campaign.

He said use of state machinery to influence elections was a violation of ECP’s code of conduct, thus it was obligation of the ECP to take notice into the matter.

Taking notice of Faisal Mir’s allegations, the ECP had directed the chief secretary and inspector general of Punjab Police to take action against any violations of its code of conduct for elections under Article 204 of the constitution read with 103(a) of the Representation of People Act, 1976. The by-election is scheduled to be held in NA-120 on September 18.

The seat had fallen vacant after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified under Article 62 of the constitution in the Panama Papers case by the Supreme Court on July 28.

Meanwhile, during the hearing of a case pertaining to kidnapping, the Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the performance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police.

A two-member Supreme Court bench consisting of Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Qazi Faez Isa, accepted the bail plea of one Khalid, accused of kidnapping Basit from Peshawar, against furnishing of Rs 0.1 million surety bonds.

The court was told that father of the abducted person had forgiven the kidnapper after a local jirga guaranteed him that his demands would be fulfilled. The court observed that ‘it does not accept jirgas and this tradition should end, being against the law and the constitution.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa noted that the performance of KP Police was very poor. He said that due to poor prosecution, accused secure bail. Basit was recovered from a hospital of Charsadda after two years of his kidnapping.

Published in Daily Times, August 24^th 2017.