Court nod for Sharif CM to c&aign for party candidates

Date

9/3/2015 1:24:16 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and federal and Punjab ministers are allowed to fully campaign for their candidates in the forthcoming high-profile by-elections as the prohibition was dispensed with by the Lahore High Court (LHC) some time back.

Political rivals have often objected to the direct involvement of senior government leaders in the poll campaign for being unaware of the court order that struck down a clause of the Code of Conduct of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which imposed this bar on them.

The clause was challenged by Mansoor Sarwar Khan advocate President of the central region Punjab of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI).

LHC judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah held two months back that the ECP cannot limit political activity or make a political party dysfunctional by putting restrictions on the movement of its leaders or members because such a freedom is grounded in fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution. The public office holders like the prime minister chief minister federal ministers ministers of state and advisors to the president also wear a political hat and belong to a political party the judgment said.

They are not in the service of Pakistan it said. Hence they are free to attend to their political obligations of running a political party and are fully entitled to the fundamental right guaranteed to them under article 17(2). A political party has to freely conduct electioneering canvassing and the electoral campaign.

This political activism the ruling said is the foundation of modern parliamentary democracy and cannot be restricted by the ECP. The issue of abuse of public office and public funds on a case-to-case basis can be easily addressed under the Representation of People Act (ROPA) and the law will take its own course when any such violation takes place.

In an open political space and a vigilant media such violations cannot remain hidden and are likely to be immediately highlighted by the opposing parties the judgment said.

Therefore to restrict the party leaders party workers or any public office holders including the prime minister chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate speakers of assemblies federal minister ministers of state chief minister provincial ministers and advisors to the prime minister and the chief minister and other public office holders except the president who is an emblem of unity of the Federation and is non-partisan to visit the area of the constituency.

Internews

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.