The notice was sent after Shafiullah Jan accused the ECP of misconduct during a press conference held on December 19. He claimed that Form-47 was issued from Islamabad instead of the returning officer’s office, calling it an unusual event in the country’s electoral history.

Jan further alleged that the ECP failed to upload all Form-45s from 602 polling stations. He also claimed that the winning party could not present complete Form-45 records from the constituency.

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According to sources, the ECP strongly rejected these allegations, calling them “baseless” and misleading. The commission said it reviewed the matter and found that the claims were not supported by any evidence.

The ECP added that such public statements create unnecessary confusion and damage public trust in the electoral process. Sources said the commission viewed the remarks as an attempt to malign the institution.

Shafiullah Jan has been directed to submit a written explanation along with “concrete and verifiable” evidence within seven days. If he fails to do so, the ECP may take legal action under the law.

The controversy relates to the November by-elections held on six National Assembly and seven provincial seats. Most seats were won by PML-N, while PTI rejected the results and alleged rigging.

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In NA-18 Haripur, PTI-backed independent candidate Shehrnaz Omar Ayub lost to PML-N’s Babar Nawaz. The seat was vacated after former opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan was disqualified by the ECP in multiple cases.

Meanwhile, election watchdog Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) also reported recurring violations of campaign rules and gaps in result transparency during the by-elections.