VEHARI: Despite monitoring teams’ work in the district to check violation of election codes, local government representatives, including dist council and municipal committees’ officials, are mobilising official resources, including vehicles, in electioneering for their candidates.

Dawn learned Humayun Iftikhar Chishti, nephew of District Council Chairman Ghulam Muhyuddin Chishti, candidate for-PP-229 of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is using official vehicles in his campaign in the constituency.

Vehari Municipal Committee officials are campaigning for the PML-N candidate for PP-234, while Thingi union councils and Mailsi Municipal Committee officials are using official resources for the PML-N candidate for NA-165.

The same situation is in Burewala where government employees, councilors and union council chairman are campaigning for their candidates. A majority of the local government officials is favoring PML-N candidates in the district.

When contacted, District Election Commissioner Chaudhry Ghulam Rasool said that unless the commission gets a written complaint from the election office, they cannot take any action.

FAISALABAD: Deputy Commissioner Syed Ahmed Fawad who is also district monitoring officer has imposed fines on five candidates contesting for different national and provincial assemblies seats and warned some others over violation of election code of conduct.

Fine of Rs 25,000 each has been imposed on Khurram Shehzad and Faizullah Kamoka, both Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidates for NA-107 and NA-109, respectively.

Similarly, PML-N’s Rana Mohammad Afzal (NA-???), Safdar Shakir (PP-104) and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s Rana Abdul Waheed (PP-100), were also fined.

The DC issued warnings on code of conduct violations to the PML-N candidates Mian Abdul Mannan (NA-109), Rana Ali Abbas (PP-115) and PTI’s Mehboob Alam Sindhu (PP-116).

Mr Fawad said Punjab local government department would be approached for strict action against the union council chairmen, vice chairmen and councillors who were taking part in the election campaigns of different candidates.

All candidates had been directed to refrain from carrying weapons, resorting to aerial firing and displaying oversize posters and banners, the DC said.

BAHAWALNAGAR: Eleven candidates were served notices by the deputy commissioner over the violation of code of conduct by the Election Commission of Pakistan, while nine first information reports (FIRs) were registered over exhibiting weapons and taking out processions without permission and other violations.

The notices were served on Shaukat Laleka (NA-167), Abdul Ghaffar Kaloka (NA-166), Ejazul Haq (NA-169), Shaukat Basra (NA-169), Rana Abdul Rauf (PP-239), Fida Hussain Kaloka (PP-237), Arshad (PP-244), Saleem Naseeb (PP-239) and Noorul Hassan Tanveer (NA-169).

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2018