UMERKOT: Election Commission of Pakistan’s district monitoring officer for PS-52 by-election has served a show-cause notice on Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi for violating code of conduct, warning him of disciplinary action.

The notice issued on Friday said that the officer concerned received a complaint from Taj Haider, in-charge of Pakistan Peoples Party’s central election cell, and also took notice of reports that Mr Qureshi had addressed his followers through a telephonic call at Khan Sahib Sarwar Palli’s guesthouse in Umerkot on March 10, which was considered to be violation of para-17 of the code of conduct.

He said that being a member of parliament and holding portfolio of foreign minister, Mr Qureshi was fully aware of schedule of by-election issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan which required that he could not participate in election campaign in any manner whatsoever after announcement of election schedule.

He said that para-17 (B) of the code of conduct said that president, prime minister, chairman, deputy chairman of Senate, speaker and deputy speaker of an assembly, members of Senate or an assembly, federal

ministers, ministers of state, governors, chief ministers, mayors, chairman, nazim, their deputies and other public office holders “shall not participate in election campaign in any manner whatsoever”.

Mr Qureshi was therefore directed to explain his position within a week after receipt of this notice, otherwise disciplinary action under relevant provisions of law would be recommended to ECP for necessary action, said the notice.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2020