The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has suspended three senior officials for “misconduct and inefficiency” as part of an ongoing inquiry. The officers, including Azhar Hussain Tunwari, Director of Administration and Provincial Election Commissioner Sindh, Karachi Election Officer Khuda Bux, and Provincial Election Commissioner Sindh Sharifullah, will be suspended for 120 days.
A notification from the ECP confirmed that the suspended officers must remain in Karachi throughout the inquiry until further notice. This investigation focuses on allegations of misconduct and inefficiency within the Sindh offices of the commission.
In related news, last week, the Punjab irrigation secretary suspended four officials for corruption and negligence, including Superintendent Engineer Zahid Nawaz Mitro, Executive Engineer Umair Sadaqat of Taunsa Barrage, and two Subdivisional Officers, Mohammed Asif and Ghulam Akbar. They were found involved in misconduct related to a breach repair costing Rs300 million and were suspended for 90 days under the Peeda Act of 2006.
Additionally, tensions between parliament and the Supreme Court escalated as National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq issued a letter to the ECP, urging it to respect parliamentary sovereignty regarding the allocation of reserved seats to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). This letter followed a Supreme Court ruling that allowed independent candidates to join political parties after elections.
On July 12, the Supreme Court had declared PTI a parliamentary party, affirming its eligibility for reserved seats previously allocated to other parties. However, parliament responded by passing the Elections (Second Amendment) Act, 2024, imposing restrictions on party-switching by independent candidates and effectively overriding the Supreme Court’s decision, a bill introduced by PML-N MNA Bilal Azhar Kayani.
