ECP summons Attaullah Tarar over election violation

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken notice of an alleged violation of its election code by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar during campaigning for the upcoming by-election in NA-77 Gujranwala.

According to the commission, Tarar travelled to the constituency by helicopter and addressed an election gathering in support of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Rashid Basheer Virk.

The ECP said the minister’s participation in election campaigning appeared to violate its Code of Conduct, which prohibits public office holders, including federal ministers, from taking part in electoral campaign activities.

The commission has sought reports from the district monitoring officer and district returning officer to investigate the incident. It has also directed Tarar to appear before the ECP in person to explain his position.

The electoral body warned that the result of NA-77 could be withheld until a final decision is reached on the alleged violation.

The by-election in NA-77 Gujranwala-I is scheduled for November 8. The constituency fell vacant following the death of five-time PML-N lawmaker Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk on September 11 after a prolonged illness. His son, Rashid Basheer Virk, is among 18 candidates contesting the seat.

Mehmood Bashir Virk had represented the constituency in the National Assembly five times. He was first elected in 1997 and returned to parliament in four consecutive elections from 2008 onwards.

The seat was previously contested in a by-election in November 2025 after its original winner, PTI-backed independent candidate Rai Murtaza Iqbal, was disqualified following his conviction by an anti-terrorism court.

Meanwhile, another by-election is scheduled for November 8 in Punjab Assembly constituency PP-203 Sahiwal-VI.

The seat became vacant following the death of PML-N lawmaker Chaudhry Hanif Jutt, who died of cardiac arrest on September 17, 2026.

Jutt had won the previous by-election in November 2025 with 46,820 votes, defeating independent candidate Falik Sher, who received 10,975 votes.

The earlier vacancy had arisen after Rai Murtaza Iqbal, who won the seat in the 2024 general elections as a PTI-backed independent candidate with 55,874 votes, was disqualified along with four other PTI-backed lawmakers following their convictions by an anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad on July 31.