LARKANA: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday issued second show-cause notice to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and other party leaders after they failed to reply to the earlier notices served on them on Sunday.

Regional Election Comm­i­ssio­ner Rana Abdul Ghaf­far in the show-cause notices issued to Bilawal and others said: “You had to submit your reply to the REC on Oct 14, but you have failed to do so. You are finally directed to submit your reply by Oct 15 (Tuesday) at the camp office of the REC situated at the office of the district election commissioner Larkana in the collectorate building.”

Earlier, they were issued show-cause notices on account of violation of Para-17 of the code of conduct issued for the conduct of the re-election in PS-11 Lark­ana-II, delivered through police services and other sources on Oct 13, 2019.

Besides Bilawal, the ECP also issued notices to the adviser to the CM and Sindh PPP president Nisar Khu­hro, provincial ministers Nasir Hussain Shah, Sohail Anwar Siyal, Mukesh Cha­wla and Jamil Soomro (PPP’s candidate for PS-11 in the re-election); MNA Khursheed Jun­ejo and MPAs Sharjeel Inam Memon, Ganhwar Khan Isran, Sardar Khan Chandio and Shabbir Khan Bijarani.

District Returning Offi­cer Syed Nadeem Haidar told Dawn on Monday that the second show-cause not­ice was sent to all of them after non-compliance with the first notices.

He said the ECP had to maintain its neutrality and transparency by all means. Under Article 218 of the Constitution, ECP had to make election transparent and impartial and in this connection it would take all necessary steps to maintain its impartial and judicious role, he added.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2019