ECP serves notice on Bilawal for Larkana visit ahead of by-polls

By our correspondent

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a show-cause notice to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other party leaders for visiting Larkana s PS-11 constituency ahead of a by-election.

Bilawal Bhutto had visited Larkana on Saturday to spearhead the election campaign of his party’s candidate Jamil Soomro in the by-polls in the Sindh Assembly constituency PS-11 scheduled to be held on October 17. The PPP chief addressed party s rallies in Nazar Mohalla and Pakistan Chowk areas of Larkana.

As per Para 17 of the ECP’s Code of Conduct no member of parliament can visit a constituency where by-elections are scheduled after the dates for the election have been notified.

In its notification dated October 12 ECP directed the PPP chairman to explain his position within a day and warned that failure to do so will result in disciplinary action.

“Being a member of the National Assembly you were fully aware about the announcement of schedule of by-election,” the notification read.

A similar notice was also issued to PPP leaders who visited Larkana as well including Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Sharjeel, Inam Memon, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Khursheed Ahmed Junejo, Sohail Anwar Siyal and others with the same instructions.

The ECP had announced that by-elections be held inPS-11 after Grand Democratic Alliance s Moazzam Abbasi was de-seated by the Supreme Court in August.

PPP on Sunday criticised ECP for issuing a notice to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, saying that no law stop him from visiting his constituency.

Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the spokesman to the Chairman PPP, reacting to the notice by ECP to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that no law stops Chairman Bilawal to go to his constituency and asked how notice could be sent to a member National Assembly for going to his constituency?

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that ECP cannot restore its lost credibility by such actions. He said the ECP has yet to answer questions about the rigged elections in 2018. "What is the logic behind the fact that Army could be inside and outside polling stations but MNA could not go to his constituency," he asked.