Pakistan’s Election Commission has fined Prime Minister Imran Khan Rs50,000 for breaking the election law.
Lower Dir District Monitoring Officer imposed the fine. The prime minister has been directed by the DMO to remit the fine to the national kitty by March 22.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan, KP Governor Shah Farman, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Development Minister Asad Umar, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Communication Minister Murad Saeed, provincial minister Anwar Zeb, and MPA Liaquat Ali were among those fined for violating the election code. In addition, they were each fined Rs50,000.
The election commission has also imposed fines on seven tehsil chairmen candidates.
The state apparatus was employed during a public gathering conducted by the ruling PTI in Lower Dir on March 11, according to the DMO report. The usage of state resources, according to the DMO, could have an impact on the next local government elections in KP.
The election commission also issued a notice to Prime Minister Khan for his participation in the demonstration, and he was called on March 14, either in person or through his counsel.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) also dismissed the petition, which sought a court order prohibiting the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from taking action against Prime Minister Imran Khan. During the petition hearing, the prime minister’s lawyer, Barrister Ali Zafar, asked the court to stop the ECP from proceeding against his client until the next hearing.
The court, according to Justice Aamer Farooq, could not give a stay in the case. “The IHC cannot give such an order to the electoral commission based on PM Imran’s conduct,” he said, adding that the prime should have come before the ECP. He suggested, “Why don’t you appear before the ECP and raise the issues there?”
The election commission had previously issued a ruling rejecting the ordinance under review, according to Barrister Ali Zafar.
Justice Farooq went on to state that the administration had made the mistake of depending on ordinances for legislation.
He went on to say that the ECP was given the right to hold free, fair, and transparent elections under the constitution. “Can the government deprive the electoral commission of its constitutionally mandated power through an ordinance?” he wondered.
PM Imran has previously authorized Muhammad Zubair Sarfaraz to eliminate the Registrar Office’s objections using his biometric.
The case was then adjourned to March 28, 2022, by the court.
