The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Sikandar Sultan Raja, has withheld the victory notification of Bilal Chaudhry, the winning candidate from NA-96 Faisalabad, following allegations of violating the by-election code of ethics by his brother Talal Chaudhry and failing to appear before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to explain his position.

The Election Commission’s legal team informed the CEC that three complaints had been filed against Minister of State Talal Chaudhary for violating the code of conduct in the NA-96 constituency, prompting the District Returning Officer (DRO) to issue him a notice on November 16. The DRO had warned him and barred him from further participation in election activities. 

The legal team stated that Talal Chaudhary again breached the code of ethics by participating in his brother’s campaign, leading to a fine of Rs50,000 imposed on November 20 for repeated violations. The legal team added that under the Election Act, no government official or public representative, including the president, prime minister, Senate chairman, or speakers, is permitted to take part in an election campaign.

Recommending strict action, the legal team noted that despite being issued notices, Talal Chaudhary and Bilal Chaudhry had failed to appear before the commission, although the lawyers for both Talal Chaudhary and Bilal Chaudhary were present. During Monday’s hearing, CEC Raja remarked that not only had Talal Chaudhary violated the code of conduct, but he had also ignored the commission’s summons, criticising the federal government and the minister for “not considering themselves bound by the law.”

The CEC then asked whether the candidate whose campaign Talal Chaudhary joined had actually won, and officials confirmed that he had. According to the legal team, the notification of the winning candidate had not yet been issued, meaning he could still face disqualification under the law. Talal Chaudhary’s lawyer told the commission that the minister had been unable to appear due to prior commitments and had submitted a request for exemption from the day’s hearing.

Bilal Chaudhary’s lawyer likewise stated that the candidate could not appear due to election engagements. The Chief Election Commissioner accepted their requests for exemption from personal appearance but ordered that the NA-96 victory notification of Bilal Chaudhary be withheld. The CEC clarified that the commission was “not disqualifying Bilal Chaudhary at this stage, only stopping the notification.”The hearing was adjourned until December 2.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)