Islamabad, 08 November (H.S.): Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has been accused of violating the election code of conduct, prompting the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take cognisance of the matter on Saturday.

According to a statement issued by the commission, Tarar allegedly violated the code of conduct while campaigning for the by-election in National Assembly constituency NA-77, Gujranwala, on Saturday. The minister reportedly visited the constituency by helicopter and addressed an election gathering in support of Rashid Basheer Virk, who is contesting from NA-77 (Gujranwala-I).

According to a report by Dawn, the Election Commission stated that the minister's participation amounted to a violation of the provision in the code of conduct that prohibits public office-holders, including federal ministers, from taking part in election campaign activities.

The commission has sought reports from the District Monitoring Officer and the District Returning Officer to investigate the matter. It has also directed the minister to appear before the commission in person. The ECP further stated that the election result for the constituency could be withheld until a final decision is reached in the matter.

By-elections in NA-77 and Punjab Assembly constituency PP-203 (Sahiwal-VI) are scheduled to be held on Sunday, November 8. Both seats fell vacant following the deaths of their respective lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The NA-77 seat became vacant following the death of Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk, who passed away on September 11 after a prolonged illness. His son, Rashid Basheer Virk, is contesting the by-election.

During his political career, Mehmood Bashir Virk was elected to the National Assembly five times as a PML-N candidate. He was regarded as a staunch loyalist of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Rashid and 17 other candidates have filed nomination papers to contest the constituency.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar