• Takes exception to govt’s decision not to assign teachers election duties
• ECP insists local polls in capital will proceed as scheduled
• Updated list of registered parties excludes names of several party heads over ‘intra-party poll issues’
ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja on Thursday accused the federal government of trying to sabotage local government elections in Islamabad and made it clear that the polls would be held as scheduled.
The remarks came during a hearing by a three-member Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) bench, headed by the CEC, on alleged violations of the code of conduct in the NA-77 by-election.
The CEC said the federal government had issued directions that teachers should not be assigned duties in the Islamabad local government elections.
“Where will the Election Commission bring staff from?” he asked. “The Election Commission issues directions to the prime minister and the government; directions do not come from them to us.”
Taking serious notice of the government’s directive, the CEC said: “The federal government wants to sabotage the Islamabad local government elections. I make it clear that local government elections will be held in Islamabad.”
During the hearing, ECP Secretary Omar Hamid said a candidate of the Central Muslim League had submitted an application to the district returning officer (DRO), alleging that Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and MNA Farooq Tarar had visited the constituency.
ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal said the application alleged that Attaullah Tarar had violated the election code of conduct by visiting the constituency.
He said a violation of the code could carry a sentence of up to two years and called for strict action, adding that lawmakers and ministers had continued visiting the constituency.
Attaullah Tarar’s counsel, Sajeel Swati, said his client was abroad on an official visit and described the allegations as serious.
The CEC asked why the information minister was absent despite having been summoned in his personal capacity. When the counsel explained that Mr Tarar was on an official foreign visit, the CEC remarked that the information minister only had to do media coverage on the visit.
Turning to PML-N MPA and office-bearer Asma Naz, the CEC questioned her presence inside a polling station. “Your position as MPA can go. Such tactics do not increase votes, they decrease them,” he said.
Noting that she was smiling, the CEC said she appeared to have no remorse and warned that a contempt notice could be issued against her.
MPA Qudsia Batool said she had been sitting in her car outside the polling station and was preparing to leave when the video in question was recorded.
The Gujranwala deputy commissioner also appeared before the commission and said the district administration had no information about the minister’s visit to the constituency.
The CEC questioned how the administration could have been unaware of the visit when the minister had arrived by helicopter. “How are you a DC when you do not even know that a minister is coming?”
The deputy commissioner replied that the helicopter had landed in the cantonment area, which was outside his jurisdiction.
The CEC said the DC did not know what his powers were in the cantonment. “Go and read the law. We have also held these offices,” he said.
The CEC said a fact-finding inquiry had been conducted into the alleged code of conduct violations and its report would be provided to all concerned.
He directed the officials to respond to the report, warning that action could be taken against the deputy commissioner, returning officer and district monitoring officer.
On the request of Attaullah Tarar’s counsel, the commission granted 10 days to submit a response and directed all concerned to appear in person at the next hearing.
The hearing was adjourned until Dec 1.
List of political parties
Meanwhile, the ECP issued an updated list of 160 registered political parties, with the names of the heads of several parties, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), missing from the list.
A senior ECP official, when contacted, clarified that the MQM-P had not been delisted.
He said the commission had issued a show-cause notice to the party over its failure to hold intra-party elections and directed it to respond within 14 days.
The party had submitted its reply, and if the response was found unsatisfactory, the matter would be fixed for hearing and decided accordingly, the official said. The MQM-P had earlier been given until October to conduct its intra-party elections.
The names of the heads of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were also missing from the list.
Similarly, the name of the PkMAP chief was absent, while proceedings concerning the party’s intra-party elections and amendments to its constitution remained pending before the ECP.
Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan was also included among the registered parties, but without the name of its chief.
The list also included Awam Pakistan, headed by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, despite the party having previously been delisted by the ECP.
Another notable inclusion was the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI), a nine-party alliance formed in 1988 that was dissolved more than three decades ago.
Several lesser-known political parties, including Ittehad-i-Ummat Pakistan, Jamaat-i-Suffah, Labour Qaumi Movement, Awami Democratic Party, Pakistan Qabail Movement and Tehreek-i-Tarraqi-o-Kamal, were also listed without the names of their heads.
Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2026
