ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday disqualified a candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for using pictures of the chief justice of Pakistan and the army chief in his election campaign posters.

A full bench of the ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan ruled PTI’s candidate from Gujranwala’s PP-53 constituency Nasir Cheema ineligible to contest the July 25 elections after he was found to have violated the electoral code of conduct.

After grilling Mr Cheema over the controversial posters during the last hearing, the ECP had asked him to file a written reply explaining as to why he should not be disallowed to contest the election.

“Are they related to you? What is the army chief’s and CJP’s link to the elections? On what basis did you put up their pictures?” an infuriated CEC Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan had asked the PTI candidate.

Mr Cheema, along with his lawyer Gohar Ali Khan, appeared before the ECP bench on Monday and submitted his reply.

The lawyer initially took the stance that the photos of Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had been edited onto the posters which, he said, did not belong to his client’s electoral campaign.

But when he was told that his client had admitted during the last hearing that the posters had been printed before the announcement of the election schedule, he said the posters in question were put up in solidarity with Supreme Court judge Justice Ijazul Ahsan after unknown gunmen opened fire at his residence in April.

ECP member from Sindh Abdul Ghaffar Soomro said: “Do the army and judiciary need your sympathy?”

Mr Cheema’s lawyer argued that the posters were put up before the ECP issued the code of conduct.

After hearing the arguments, the ECP bench reserved the verdict. It later ruled Mr Cheema disqualified from the electoral race for using photos of two heads of institutions on his election posters.

Meanwhile, the ECP has asked caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Dr Hassan Askari to immediately hold an inquiry into the alleged stopping of a campaign convoy of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Uchh Sharif and share details of the matter with the commission.

“If Punjab’s inquiry shows flaw in the conduct of local officers, the Election Commission of Pakistan will like to take action against the responsible,” reads a letter issued with the signatures of ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad.

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Sherry Rehman had written to the CEC over attempted prevention of Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s campaign on July 7. She alleged that the PPP chairman was stopped from reaching the Uchh Sharif mazar.

“An alarming allegation is that a connection between senior police officials and partisan political activism was established, in particular, finger has been pointed at the DIG police, Bahawalpur,” reads the ECP letter to the Punjab chief minister.

A similar complaint had been lodged by PPP secretary general Nayyar Hussain Bokhari. In his complaint, he alleged that the Punjab IG, Bahawalpur DPO and a DSP had obstructed Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s freedom of movement.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2018