ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan disposed of on Monday petitions against Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq and other politicians who had been accused of violating the code of conduct issued by the commission for the coming local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The counsel for Sirajul Haq informed the commission that JI’s planned public meetings were not part of the election campaign and had been rescheduled to take place after completion of the electoral exercise.

He said the JI had always worked to strengthen the ECP and had strived for making it independent. Besides it played a role to make electoral laws more effective. The party could not even think of violating the code of conduct, he said.

The counsel, however, expressed reservations over the code of conduct issued without consulting political parties.

Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan and Member Punjab retired Justice Riaz Kiani said that only minor amendments had been introduced in the code of conduct issued for the 2013 general elections prepared in consultation with political parties.

Provincial Information Minister Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, who had been served two notices for violating the code of conduct, appeared before the commission and denied the charges.

He was initially accused of running door-to-door campaign and visiting election offices of candidates.

The applicant had submitted a photograph of the minister sitting with some people and posters visible in the background as a proof, but Mr Ghani said the picture had been taken in his house regularly visited by political people.

The minister, however, promised to be careful in future when the commission pointed out that most of the complaints of violation of the code of conduct had been made against his party – Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Provincial Minister for Zakat and Ushr Habibur Rehman, who was accused of releasing zakat funds ahead of the polls, informed the commission that only the funds in the pipeline had been released.

But the commission asked the minister, who belongs to JI, to freeze the funds and ensure that these were not released before the elections.

Adviser to Minister for Communications Akbar Ayub Khan assured the commission that he would abide by the code of conduct.

The commission questioned provincial secretaries for running an advertisement highlighting release of Rs8.2 million for providing drinking water in different schools.

It regretted that what should have been done in January last year was being done now and warned against release of funds and advertisements before the polls.

The commission rejected a plea made by a secretary for utilisation of funds that the financial year was about to end and the funds would lapse.

It said the plea meant the code of conduct was being violated and warned it should not be done at any cost.

The commission asked Habibul Haq, a teacher of a public sector school, to appear before it on Tuesday. He is accused of campaigning for the JUI-F and issuing decrees against opponents.

Two MPAs, who are accused of violating the code of conduct, have also been summoned for Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2015

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