MANSEHRA: The district election monitoring team has warned poll candidates of strict legal action, including disqualification, over hate speech.

“We want you to ensure interfaith harmony by not hurting the religious sentiments of each other but if anybody from among you is found to be making hate speeches during campaign, he or she will face strict legal action, including election disqualification,” team head and deputy commissioner Mohammad Zubair told candidates in a meeting here on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by candidates for two national and five provincial assembly seats of Mansehra district.

Poll monitoring team asks them to ensure interfaith harmony during campaign

Mr Zubair said the political parties and candidates could hold public meetings at specified places.

He said contenders could hold corner meetings only but if they wanted to hold public meetings, they would’ve to get the district administration’s permission for that.

The team head warned that strict action would be initiated against the owners of printing presses publishing posters and banners larger than the prescribed size.

District police officer Rasheed Khan, who was also in attendance, said the rules and law had bound candidates to strictly follow security guidelines issued by the law-enforcement agencies.

“If you (candidates) want to take out rallies, then you have to get the district police’s permission for it at least six hours in advance,” he said.

The DPO said nobody, even the contenders, would be allowed to approach polling stations with weapons and ammunition.

NAB PROBE: The National Accountability Bureau has begun a probe into the alleged embezzlement of funds in the over Rs5 billion development schemes here.

The team led by the provincial NAB deputy director visited the communication and works department’s offices and seized records of health, education, electricity, road and water schemes executed by the last PML-N government.

The NAB has already completed an inquiry into the alleged embezzlement of funds in the Rs4 billion development schemes executed from the funds allocated to former PML-N MNA retired captain Mohammad Safdar by the federal government.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2018