KARACHI: A district monitoring officer on Thursday imposed a fine of Rs10,000 on Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman for violating the code of conduct for local government by-elections.

The LG by-polls are scheduled to be held on dozens of vacant seats across around 25 districts in Sindh, including six in the Karachi division.

The district monitoring officer for Central, Additional Deputy Commissioner-I Mohammad Asim Abbasi, stated in his order that Mr. Rehman, chairman of UC-8 Al-Falah, North Nazimabad, was fined under Section 234 (3) of the Election Act, 2017.

“After due consideration of the defence reply in light of the monitoring officer’s report from UC-05 Gulberg Town and complaints by contesting candidates, you are hereby found guilty of violating Para 16(B), Para 27, Para 30, and Para 32 of the code of conduct for Local Government By-Elections 2024,” the order read.

The JI Karachi deputy chief, Advocate Saifuddin, filed a written reply to the letter/notice issued by the district monitoring officer to the party chief regarding Mr. Rehman’s participation in a Bano Qabil aptitude test recently held in a union committee in District Central, where the LG by-election will take place next week.

The JI chief’s representative argued that the report submitted to the district monitoring officer by the Gulberg Town monitoring officer was based on “misconceived facts,” stating that the program in question was the “Bano Qaabil Information Technology Programme” initiated by Al-Khidmat Foundation, the party’s social welfare and charitable wing.

He further claimed that the program schedule was announced well before the election date was set by the election watchdog, with planning done months in advance, as thousands of students participate in such tests. He noted that similar programs were held in other parts of the city on the same day, where no LG bye-elections were being conducted.

Meanwhile, according to statistics issued by the provincial election commissioner’s office, 68 candidates are in the running for 10 vacant seats in Karachi, with 168 polling stations set up.

The vacant seats in Karachi include the chairman of UC-9 Malir Town, the general member of Ward 4 UC-7 Ibrahim Hyderi Town, the general member of Ward 1 of UC-7 Korangi Town, the chairman of UC-7 Model Colony Town, the chairman of UC-6 Landhi Town, the vice-chairman of UC-5 Yaseenabad Gulberg Town, the chairman of UC-7 Liaquatabad Town, the chairman of UC-13 Saddar, the general member of Ward 4 UC-10 Baldia Town, and the general member of Ward 4 UC-5 Manghopir Town.

There are over 295,700 registered voters in these constituencies, including more than 157,600 male and around 137,800 female voters.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2024