LAHORE: The Punjab local government department’s election cell on Wednesday ordered first inquiry against Mandi Bahauddin district council chairman for his alleged involvement in electioneering for a PML-N candidate for National Assembly, who is said to be brother of former chief minister’s secretary.

Local Government Secretary Arif Anwar Baloch, who is the focal person of the Punjab government on elections, had on Tuesday stopped all elected heads of local councils from directly or indirectly supporting any candidate, stating that those found doing so would be proceeded against under the law.

Mandi Bahauddin District Council Chairman Ghulam Hussain Bosal is also a cousin of the PML-N candidate Nasir Bosal.

Officials in the cell said the probe had been ordered on a complaint which was supported by evidence of the chairman’s participation in the election campaign of the PML-N candidate, who is brother of ex-CM’s secretary Imdadullah Bosal.

They said local government department’s deputy director in Gujranwala and another in Lahore had been assigned the probe into the matter and asked to submit a report within three days.

They said that if found guilty the chairman could be removed from the office by the competent authority.

The inquiry officers have been reminded that influencing elections in favour of any candidate or party by elected heads of all local councils was disallowed under Section 18 of the Code of Conduct issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan Under Section 233 of the Election Act 2017.

Meanwhile, the local government department’s election cell has taken a serious notice of the impounding of official vehicles by the deputy commissioners for election duty.

The department has asked the DCs to forthwith return the vehicles.

Officials said the notice had been taken after complaints by the Agriculture Development Bank that the vehicles of their field staff were being impounded the DCs, especially of Okara and Sargodha, for election duty.

The bank had stated that the impounding of the vehicles was illegal and was gravely affecting its on-going loan recovery campaign which was at its peaks these days.

The officials said the bank had also filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court in this regard before approaching the election cell.

An order sent to all DCs on Wednesday states that reports have been received, indicating that vehicles of banks and other departments are being impounded for election duties by the district administration.

The ECP has released Rs291.806 million for provision of transport to district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers for performance of election duties.

“Therefore, snatching/withholding of vehicles of banks and other departments is not justified. In view of the above, it is requested that the practice may be stopped and any vehicle in the possession of the district administration or election officers may be returned to the respective departments, organisations immediately. A report in this regard may be furnished to this department for onward transmission to the chief secretary,” the department letter says.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2018