ISLAMABAD: The returning officer for provincial assembly seat in PP-7 (Taxila), Ali Abdullah, has put Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on notice for violating the election code of conduct.

The RO has asked Mr Khan to submit a written explanation to him on Sept 29.

The notice was served after Mr Khan flouted a ban on public officeholders, including MNAs, visiting a constituency where the schedule for elections has been announced. Mr Khan not only visited the constituency but also addressed a public meeting as a part of the election campaign of his party’s candidate Ammar Siddique Khan.

The RO, who had already warned the PTI chairman, said in the notice that the visit to the PP-7 constituency was an open violation of the election code of conduct. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had also taken notice of reports that Mr Khan planned to address a public rally in Taxila on Sept 23, and had directed the district administration to ensure that the code of conduct was not violated.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday criticised the ECP for making claims it could not implement. He said while he was not visiting the constituency after the announcement of the election schedule, his opponents were violating the commission’s directions, and no action was being taken against them.

An official from the ECP said the violation of a directive issued by the commission would be proceeded against under Article 204 of the Constitution, read with section 103A of the Representation of People Act (Ropa) 1976.

The provincial assembly seat from the aforementioned constituency fell vacant due to the death of PTI’s Siddique Khan. Ammar Siddique Khan and PML-N’s Umar Farooq are now contesting the seat, and a tough electoral battle is expected. While the PTI wishes to retain its seat, the PML-N is striving to secure the constituency. Political observers have called the by-election a ‘popularity test’ for both the parties in the region.

A PTI leader, when contacted, said the party’s counsel would appear before the RO on Sept 29 but did not elaborate on how the violation of the code of conduct for elections would be defended.

PTI spokesman Naeemul Haq, however, told Dawn that the ECP had no authority to curtail the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution. He argued that there was no rationale for including members of the national and provincial assemblies among the public officeholders who were barred from visiting constituencies where an election schedule had been announced.

He said the law had been made to prevent the prime minister and chief ministers along with their cabinets and advisers from announcing any incentives for the electorates ahead of elections from misusing their authority and public money.

“Imran Khan cannot announce any incentives and, therefore, the bar on him was meaningless,” he remarked.

He said a notice received from the returning officer Jhelum had been responded to and was with the ECP now. “We are awaiting a response from the ECP,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2016