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ECP may allow senators, LG representatives to campaign for their parties

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  • Public-office holders cannot participate in election campaign.
  • An assembly speaker can campaign in his own constituency only.
  • Ban on public meetings in a constituency before 48 hours of polling.

ISLAMABAD: As the country gears up for the February 8 national elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is finalising the code of conduct according to which senators and local government representatives may be allowed to campaign for their parties, reported The News on Friday.

According to the draft of the ECP guidelines, the lawmakers will have to strictly abide by the directions, instructions and regulations, and violations would result in legal consequences, including contempt proceedings under Section 10 of the Elections Act 2017.

The conduct also makes it liable for political parties, candidates and election agents to restrain their workers from exerting undue pressure on print and electronic media, including newspapers’ offices and printing presses, or resorting to violence against journalists.

The electoral watchdog has also suggested a complete ban on carrying and displaying all kinds of weapons and firearms in public meetings, processions, polling day and until 24 hours after the returning officers have consolidated the official results.

Violation will be treated as an illegal practice. The condition will not apply to guards of political parties’ leaders or candidates, but they will need a valid license for carrying weapons and prior permission from the authority concerned.

All types of firing, including aerial firing, use of crackers or other explosives at public meetings and at or near polling stations by any person, has been prohibited.

The public-office holders — president, prime minister, Senate chairman/deputy chairman, assembly speaker/deputy speaker, federal ministers, ministers of state, governors, chief ministers, provincial ministers, advisors to the PM, mayor/chairman/nazim and their deputies — cannot participate in the election campaign in any manner. The restriction will also be applicable to the caretaker setup.

An assembly speaker can campaign in his own constituency if he is a candidate, however, he will not use official protocol/resources.

There will be a complete ban on convening, holding or attending any public meeting, or promoting or joining in any procession, within the area of a constituency before 48 hours of the conclusion of polling. All election campaigns would have to be concluded before the said hours.

A political party needs to take necessary steps to keep discipline within the party, its candidates, employees and supporters and guide them to follow the laws and regulations.

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Imran Khan’s bail request in the Toshakhana-II case has had its objections dismissed.

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In the Toshakhana-II case, the Islamabad High Court has dismissed the objections to PTI founder Imran Khan’s bail request.

IHC instructed the registrar’s office to schedule the hearing for the case for Monday.

Imran Khan’s attorneys, Shaheena Shahab, Ayesha Khalid, and others, arrived in court today as IHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the case.

The registrar’s objections to the plea were questioned by Justice Aurangzeb. In the Toshakhana-II case, Imran Khan submitted a bail application, according to counsel Ayesha Khalid.

Justice Miangul said that previous rulings in circumstances comparable to this one adhered to the consistency principle. In this instance, the petitioner was a man, he added.

Bushra Bibi was given bail because she was a woman, according to the justice, and an application like this one was denied yesterday.

Given that the case action date was November and the power of attorney was executed in July, Justice Aurangzeb raised a concern about the timing.

Justice requested the help of Advocate Shah Khawar in this case.

When an applicant was held in jail, Shah Khawar retorted that it was standard procedure to obtain signatures on required documents, such as a power of attorney.

Imran Khan’s attorney, Shaheena Shahab, asked the court to send out notices regarding the bail plea. A judge named Aurangzeb said that the law would be observed.

Following arguments, the court dismissed the registrar office’s objections and ordered that the case hearing be scheduled for Monday.

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PTI presents seven nominations to Imran Khan for the judicial commission.

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has proposed seven individuals to its founder, Imran Khan, for consideration as founding members of PTI for membership in the next Judicial Commission.

None of the nominated individuals are attorneys; rather, the roster includes four Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and three senators.

The proposed MNAs are Umar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Ali Mohammad Khan, and Aamir Dogar, while the senators are Shibli Faraz, Mohsen Aziz, and Aun Abbas Bapi. Sources suggest that the Judicial Commission will include one opposition member from both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The PTI founder will evaluate and endorse two names from the suggested list, which will then be sent to the Speaker for future actions.

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Miller confirmed that Biden’s administration got a letter from a congressman requesting the release of the PTI founder.

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Following his removal as prime minister in 2022, Khan started a protest movement against a coalition of his enemies led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Since then, he has been in jail since August 2023 and has been involved in hundreds of cases.

In response to ARY News’ question over the congressmen’s letter during a media briefing in Washington on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We will respond in due course to the members.”

The United States wants to see Pakistan maintain its democracy, Miller stated.

The release of the PTI founder’s wife and sisters was a result of a meeting between the US Deputy Assistant Secretary and a Pakistani government representative in Islamabad, which was further questioned during the press briefing.

“I won’t be addressing that,” Miller said when asked if the United States was involved in their release. Miller did, however, affirm that the conference included the defense of Pakistan’s basic liberties and rights.

Sixty-two members of the US Congress urged President Joe Biden on October 24 to support the release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and other political prisoners.

The congressmen, who included well-known Muslim members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, said in their letter that the Biden administration should ask Pakistani authorities to guarantee the safety of PTI founder Imran Khan.

They also underlined that US policy should concentrate on Pakistan’s human rights situation and asked that US ambassadors attend the PTI leader’s incarceration.

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