ISLAMABAD – The Election Commission of Pakistan has issued a show causenotice to Prime Minister Imran Khan for visiting the NA-205 Ghotki-IIconstituency ahead of a bye-election scheduled for next month.
The ECP’s show cause notice came in response to a complaint by PakistanPeople’s Party (PPP) candidate for the bye-election, Abdul Bari Pitafi, whohad approached the Commission asking it to take notice of the primeminister’s visit to Ghotki on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has visited Khan Gharh in Ghotki on Wednesdaywhere he met Mehr tribe elder Sardar Ali Gohar Khan Mahar and condoled withhim over the demise of his brother, federal minister Sardar Ali MuhammedKhan Mahar. During the visit, Ali Gohar Khan Mahar raised several politicaland developmental issues and also introduced the late minister’s son andtheir NA-205 by-election candidate Sardar Ahmad Ali Khan to the primeminister.
In his complaint to the ECP, PPP candidate Pitafi had challenged the primeminister’s visit to Ghotki at a time when the election schedule had beenannounced, terming it an attempt to influence the outcome of the election.
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In its show cause notice to Prime Minister Imran Khan , the electioncommission termed the visit a violation of its code of conduct.
“Being a member of parliament and holding a chair of Prime Minister ofPakistan, you were fully aware about the announcement of schedule ofbye-election…which requires that you cannot visit the constituency in anymanner whatsoever after announcement of the Election Schedule,” theregional election commissioner Abdul Rehman Arain, said in his notice tothe prime minister.
