The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a show-cause notice to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Advisor Shafiullah Jan, taking strict action over his recent controversial statements.
Through notice, ECP has ordered him to provide clarification and concrete evidence in support of his allegations within seven days. The action has been taken after Information Advisor Shafiullah Jan gave an interview to a private YouTube channel “Charsadda Journalist”. In his statement, he had raised several serious allegations questioning the credibility of the Election Commission.
The Election Commission has termed the statements of the Information Advisor as misleading and contrary to facts. Shafiullah Jan had criticized the role of the Election Commission in his statement regarding Form 45 and Form 47 and made allegations of rigging. The commission has asked him to provide documentary evidence of these allegations.
According to the Election Commission, Shafiullah Jan made baseless allegations regarding the Haripur (NA-18) by-election that the results were tampered with and PTI candidate Shahrnaz Omar Ayub was allegedly defeated through Form 47. The commission is of the view that the statement of the information advisor is an attempt to damage the reputation of a constitutional institution at the public level and mislead the public.
The Election Commission has made it clear that if Shafiullah Jan fails to provide a satisfactory answer and evidence within 7 days, further legal action will be taken against him for violation of election laws and code of conduct. Earlier, the Election Commission had issued notices to the leadership of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, for violating the code of conduct during the by-elections, which is seen to increase tension between the provincial government and the federal institution.
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