WASIM IQBAL

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will give final verdict on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) demand for lifting ban on members of National Assembly for canvassing in NA-120 (Lahore-III) constituency.

PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), former justice Sardar Muhammad Raza on Friday. Qureshi argued before the CEC that bar placed vide the ECP notification restricts the mandate provided by the members of PTI and essentially extinguishes the rights of an elected office-bearer of a political party by prohibiting him/her from presenting the party’s policies to the electorates of NA-120.

The CEC assured PTI that commission would give final decision after a consultative meeting.

The ECP notification F8(4) 2013, dated Aug 1, 2017, placed a prohibition on any MNA from visiting the concerned constituency or polling station.

In a letter to the ECP, the vice-chairman PTI also accused that candidate of ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will have access to the entire government machinery and will be in a position to undertake commitments on the basis of party’s position. “Consequently, the logic and rationale of any prohibition which extinguishes the right of an elected office-bearer from representing the party policies to the electorate appears to be misplaced and prima facie incorrect,” the letter stated.

The ECP has also sought data of voters’ thumb impression and pictorial electoral list of NA-120 from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). The ECP has planned to use biometric machines in NA-120 bye-election on experimental basis. The Commission has given time to the NADRA till August 17 for provision of data of NA-120. Earlier, the ECP expressed serious concerns over delay in receiving data from the NADRA despite repeated requests.

Candidates for the NA-120 by-election have started filing nomination papers since Thursday (Aug 10). According to some reports, as many as 35 candidates have received nomination papers for the by-poll scheduled to be held on Sept 17.

Submission of the papers will take place between Aug 10 and August 12. The scrutiny will be held between Aug 15 and 17, while the final list of candidates will be issued on Aug 26, according to the ECP.

Yasmeen Rashid has submitted her nomination papers as PTI had already decided to field her for NA-120 by-poll. PML-N’s candidate Kalsoom Nawaz has reportedly signed nomination papers as the party has decided to field her for the by-poll as the seat fell vacant after disqualification of Nawaz Sharif.

According to the data published by the ECP, there was an increase of 24,000 voters recorded in NA-120 since 2013’s general election. The total number of votes in general election 2013 was 297,000 when Nawaz Sharif bagged 91,683 votes, while his opponent from PTI Yasmeen Rashid secured 52,354 votes.

The increase in the number of votes was recorded during the period after the elections till Dec 2016. From January 2017 to July 2017, only 65 new voters were registered.