ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against Sindh Gover­nor Imran Ismail over alle­ged violation of the code of conduct for the Senate polls.

Taj Haider, who is in charge of the PPP’s election cell, drew attention of the ECP to the reports according to which the governor chaired a meeting of the PTI candidates for the upcoming Senate elections, PTI members of the Sindh Assembly and PTI coalition partners in the federal government. The letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner stated a strategy for the success of PTI candidates was evolved at the meeting held at Sindh Governor House.

The complaint has been filed a day after the ECP issued a code of conduct for the Senate elections, barring the president and the governors from taking part in the campaign for the polls in any manner whatsoever.

The complaint also referred to a statement of the PTI provincial advisory council, published in newspapers, criticising the governor on his choice of the PTI candidates for the Senate. The statement also deman­ded the governor’s removal.

“While the choice of PTI candidates is none of our concern, the statement confirms that the choice of candidates, right or wrong, was made by the governor [of] Sindh,” it added. According to the letter, this is a gross violation of Rule (v) of the ECP’s code of conduct that states: “The President and the Governors of the Provinces shall not take part in election campaign relating to election to the Senate in any manner whatsoever and shall not use their respective offices as well as houses in connection therewith.”

“It has become prima facie clear that the Honourable Governor has used not only his position as a Governor to intervene and influence over the process of free and fair elections but has also used the premises of the Governor House Karachi for the purpose of canvassing and electioneering. This blatant violation of the rules of the Code of Conduct becomes all the more alarming in the background of the presence of PTI representative in the consultative meeting on the Code of Conduct of 22nd February 2021 chaired by your Honour,” the letter read.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2021