[DAWN] A Senate committee on Tuesday expressed annoyance over the Election Commission of Pakistain’s (ECP) act of allowing a banned outfit’s candidate to contest the recently held by-poll in NA-120 (Lahore) constituency.
The Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, which met here with Sherry Rehman in the chair, wondered how an election symbol had been allotted to the candidate of a banned
...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organization.
An official of the ECP explained that Milli Moslem League (MML) was not registered with it and it had allotted a symbol to independent candidate Yaqoob Sheikh, who was apparently affiliated to the party.
An explanation on the issue had already been sought by the interior ministry.
The reply, however, did not satisfy the Senate body, with its chairperson Sherry Rehman and member Saifullah Khan Magsi pointing out that posters and banners of the candidate, who surprised many by bagging around 6,000 votes in the by-election, bore pictures of the banned group’s leaders, which brought a bad name to Pakistain.
The Senate body was of the view that the ECP should have taken strict notice of the matter. If the law required an amendment, a proposed amendment should be presented to parliament. 
|
