ECP disqualifies PTI candidate

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday disqualified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Nasir Cheema for violating the code of conduct and electoral rules.The ECP disqualified him after having held hearings twice on the matter. He was reported to the ECP for having displayed images of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian saqib Nisar and the Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa during his election campaign.Cheema was contesting from PP-53, Gujranwala. Through the code, the ECP had barred political parties and contesting candidates to desist from displaying photos of irrelevant figures during their poll campaign. Afterwards, again, it had reminded the stakeholders to observe the code.Meanwhile, the ECP ordered the Punjab government to hold an inquiry into the incident of alleged stopping of campaign convoy of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Uch Sharif. On behalf of the ECP, the Commission’s Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad has written a letter to Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Dr Hasan Askari.The commission said if the provincial government finds flaws in the conduct of local officers, the commission will take action against the responsible. In this context, PPP leaders in their letters to the ECP had accused certain police officials of obstructing the election campaign of the PPP. They called for measures to ensure smooth poll campaign of the party and its candidates across Pakistan.The ECP will also resume hearing Tuesday into a petition filed by one Gul-e-Zahra against Rah-e-Party Pakistan, alleging it was a banned outfit and had changed its name to take part in elections. On the previous hearing, the commission had sought reply from the party in this connection.In another development, ECP will hear a petition of PML-N Monday. The petitioner has sought allotment of symbol ‘Tiger’ to its covering candidates, following the disqualification Maryam Nawaz by the accountability court.Both Ali Pervaiz and Irfan Khokhar are covering candidates of PML-N from NA 127 and PP-173 respectively. Meanwhile, in a key development, the ECP has reportedly written to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), seeking PTI’s financial record including bank statements and other financial details long sought but denied by the PTI. The letter was reportedly written by a three-member Scrutiny Committee, headed by the Director General Law and two auditors from the defense establishment after seeking approval from the ECP.

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