The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) fined PTI Chairman Imran Khan and several party leaders, including the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, Rs 50,000 on Thursday for breaking the code of conduct for the upcoming by-elections.
The ECP claims that PTI leaders, including party chair Imran Khan and KP CM Mehmood Khan, utilised state resources to hold a rally in Peshawar in the run-up to the by-elections.
The District Monitoring Officer (DMO) of Peshawar Shahabuddin had sent notices to the PTI chair, KP CM, and others following the incident to inquire as to the nature of the violation.
The News reported that attorneys representing Imran Khan, Mehmood Khan, and other cabinet members reportedly appeared before the DMO and provided written responses, as reported by The News.
According to an ECP official, the DMO fined Imran Khan, Mehmood Khan, Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Ishtiaq Urmar, Shaukat Yousufzai, Kamran Bangash, Anwar Zeb, Muhammad Iqbal, Khaliqur Rehman, and Wazir Zada Rs50,000 apiece since their responses were deemed insufficient. On September 18th, they were to submit the payment to the state treasury.
The ECP has also written letters to the governor and chief minister of KP, requesting that they ensure Imran Khan’s rally in Charsadda on September 17 does not break the code of conduct for the by-elections.
