ECP dismisses Imran Khan's reply in ballot secrecy case
A four-member commission headed by CEC conducted hearing of the case.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday termed the reply of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in ballot secrecy case ‘inadmissible’.
A four-member commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) retired Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza conducted hearing of the case and announced the reserved verdict.
Babar Awan appeared before ECP and told that he is representing Khan in offensive language and secrecy of ballot code violation cases.
“A single reply seeking apology has been submitted in both the cases. Imran Khan did not violate the electoral code of conduct intentionally,” said Awan.
“How a single reply can be submitted in two cases? The response is not acceptable in secrecy of ballot code violation case. Submit a written explanation for it,” remarked the CEC.
Following the orders, Awan submitted a separate written reply saying that Khan did not make his vote public on purpose as the voting screen fell due to the huge crowd. It went on to say that Imran Khan did not willingly showed his vote in the camera.
The reply requested ECP to issue the success notification of Imran Khan for NA-53 constituency of Islamabad.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa member objected that the reply does not have the signatures of Khan. "I have the affidavit and Imran Khan has sought an apology. According to law, one cannot take the photograph of the vote. The media cameras took the picture and not Khan," argued Awan.
However; the reply was later rejected as it bore the signatures of Babar Awan instead of Imran Khan. The commission directed the PTI chief to submit a new reply alongwith affidavit on Friday.
On the other hand, the apologies of Imran Khan, Pervez Khattak and Ayaz Sadiq in offensive language case were accepted by the commission.
Election code violation
Khan had earlier assured ECP in writing of not using offensive language during election campaigns. ECP notice came in light of media reports, according to which, Imran referred to those welcoming Nawaz Sharif as “donkeys”.
On July 25, Imran Khan accompanied by his friends and supporters openly cast his vote in the NA-53 constituency where he was contesting the election against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party’s Syed Sibtul Haider, brother of former Senate chairman Syed Nayyar Bokahri.
Instead of going behind the voting screen to cast his vote in private, the PTI chief preferred to publicly stamp the ballot paper placing it on the table of the election officer, with TV cameras filming him. Surprisingly, the presiding officer and other polling staff did not object to the violation.
Under Section 185 (a) of the Elections Act 2017, an election official or a candidate, election agent or polling agent, a voter at a polling station or any person present during vote counting is guilty of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to Rs1,000 or with both, if he/she fails to maintain secrecy of voting or aids in violating secrecy of voting.
