11 July 2004	Sunday	22 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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ISLAMABAD, July 10: Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar said on Saturday there was no law to deter Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain from leading the election campaign of Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz.

"As long as Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain is president of the Pakistan Muslim League, he can participate in the electioneering of Mr Aziz as head of the party," Justice Dogar told reporters after the concluding ceremony of the 25th pre-service training course held at the Federal Judicial Academy for additional district and sessions judges of Punjab.

Answering a question about the alleged misuse of state machinery in favour of Mr Aziz during his campaign, he explained that the election process had not started yet.

Also a Supreme Court judge, Mr Dogar said the election commission would consider the issue of any misuse of official machinery in the by-election only if a political party so complained.

"We are being shown on the television big processions going to the offices of the returning officers in Tharparkar and Attock for the filing of nomination papers, but it is not part of the election process," he said.

The acting CEC avoided a direct reply to the question whether Mr Aziz's candidacy while continuing as a federal minister was lawful in the wake of a 2002 ban imposed on incumbent ministers to contest an election. He said the 1973 Constitution was in abeyance when the October 2002 polls were held and added that many ministers had to resign for participating in the elections.

He said the Constitution had now been revived and the government had to bring necessary amendments to the existing law which is not the job of the election commission.

Answering another question, he said the provision of a certificate of intra-party elections was required under law to get an election symbol of the party's choice for the by-polls. He said that at the time of the unification of PML factions, the party had not provided any such certificate to the commission.