ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued notices to Punjab Minister for Women Development Hameeda Waheeduddin for violating the code of conduct announced for the by-election in NA-108 (Mandi Bahauddin), scheduled to be held on June 8.

Notices have also been issued to the Punjab chief secretary and the managing director of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL), an ECP official told Dawn on Saturday.

He said the ECP had received an application alleging that the provincial minister was openly campaigning for the PML-N candidate and had announced connection of gas supply and other developmental schemes ahead of the by-poll.

Punjab chief secretary, cabinet member, SNGPL official asked to submit replies

He said the provincial minister, the chief secretary and the SNGPL managing director had been asked to submit their replies to the commission within a week and desist from further violation of the code of conduct.

The constituency had fallen vacant after disqualification of Chaudhry Ejaz for possessing a fake educational degree. Chaudhry Ejaz had been elected from the constituency in the 2008 polls on a ticket awarded by the PML-N. After being denied a party ticket in 2013, he contested as an independent candidate and emerged victorious, defeating his PML-N rival Mumtaz Tarar. But soon after the elections, he re-joined PML-N.

Shortly before his disqualification by the Supreme Court – over possession of a fake degree and concealment of his assets – he had joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

For the upcoming by-election, the PTI has nominated former PPP MNA Chaudhry Tariq Tarar as its candidate.

Women barred from polls

When asked about the controversy over the non-participation of women in the recent by-poll in PK-95 Lower Dir, the ECP official said the commission had no powers to declare the election void.

He said that prior to the 2013 polls, the ECP had prepared a draft law proposing that elections in constituencies, where less than 10 per cent women voted, would be declared void. He said the proposal was opposed by many members of the parliamentary panel on electoral reform, who observed that it was not possible to force women to vote when they did not want to exercise their right to franchise.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2015

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