Maryam Nawaz, who is in charge of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s campaign in Lahore, on Saturday appeared before District Returning Officer Nazir Ahmad Gajana and received a notice for taking out a rally without permission and causing a traffic jam.
Former MNA Mian Marghoob also appeared before the DRO and received his show cause notice for the same violation.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf I chief Imran Khan and former MNA Bilal Yaseen had appeared before the DRO earlier to receive their show cause notices for similar violations.
Gajana asked Maryam Nawaz why she had violated the code of conduct. Maryam Nawaz said she could not even think of any violation. She told the DRO she was not contesting the elections but was only supporting the PML-N election campaign. She said people loved PML-N leaders in the area and assembled around them when they visited this constituency. She said the assemblies looked like rallies but were not meant to be. The DRO told her anyone on her behalf could file a reply before his court.
Articles
Article 34 of the Election Commission of Pakistan states: “The political parties and candidates shall hold public rallies and processions only at the place or places through the routes specified for the purpose. Such places and routes shall be pre-determined in every city and town by district/local administrations in consultation with respective candidates or their authorised representatives and be notified for public information.”
Article 38 states: “Car rallies are not allowed to travel long distances except if the political parties, candidates or their supporters have pre-arranged corner meetings at specific designated places.”
Article 39 states: “The organisers in consultation with the district administration shall take steps in advance to arrange the passage of the procession so that there is no blockage to traffic. If the procession is very long, it shall be organised in segments of suitable lengths, so that at convenient intervals, especially at points where the procession has to pass road junctions, the passage of held-up traffic could be allowed, avoiding heavy traffic congestions and inconvenience to the general public.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2013.
