NA-77 By-Election: ECP Officer Fines 13 MNAs, MPAs and Officials Rs 50,000 Each for Polling Day Campaigning
The ECP's monitoring officer for NA-77 Gujranwala fined 5 MNAs, 4 MPAs and 4 office holders Rs 50,000 each for campaigning near polling stations on 8 November.
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The ECP's District Monitoring Officer for the NA-77 Gujranwala-I by-election has fined 13 MNAs, MPAs and public office holders Rs 50,000 each for breaking the polling day code of conduct. The orders are dated Sunday 8 November 2026, polling day itself. Each fine must be paid within three days.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) posted the orders on its by-elections page as "Notices issued by the DMO in NA-77 bye election". We downloaded the file on 9 November 2026 and read every order in it. Each one is signed by Syed Basit Ali, District Monitoring Officer for the NA-77 by-election. This page lists who was fined, which rule was broken, and what the law allows next.
Thirteen people were fined Rs 50,000 each
The orders name five MNAs, four Punjab MPAs, two parliamentary secretaries and two heads of public bodies. Each was fined Rs 50,000 for breaking Para-48 of the ECP's code of conduct, which bans campaigning within 400 metres of a polling station on polling day.
| Name | Office, as written on the order | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali Bhindar | Member, National Assembly | Rs 50,000 |
| Bilal Farooq Tarar | Member, National Assembly | Rs 50,000 |
| Shamaila Rana | Member, National Assembly | Rs 50,000 |
| Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar | Member, National Assembly | Rs 50,000 |
| Saira Afzal Tarar | Member, National Assembly | Rs 50,000 |
| Hina Arshad Warraich | Member, Provincial Assembly Punjab | Rs 50,000 |
| Akhtar Ali Khan | Member, Provincial Assembly Punjab | Rs 50,000 |
| Qaisar Iqbal Sandhu | Member, Provincial Assembly Punjab | Rs 50,000 |
| Waqar Ahmad Cheema | Member, Provincial Assembly Punjab | Rs 50,000 |
| Shazia Rizwan | Parliamentary Secretary, Information and Culture | Rs 50,000 |
| Asma Naz Abbasi | Parliamentary Secretary, Health and Population | Rs 50,000 |
| Chaudhry Tariq Subhani | Chairman, Punjab Land Records Authority | Rs 50,000 |
| Qudsia Batool | Chairperson, Disaster Management | Rs 50,000 |
That is Rs 650,000 in all. The orders do not name any party, so neither do we. The orders also print home addresses and phone numbers, which we have left out.
The fines are for breaking the 400 metre rule on polling day
Every notice cited Para-48 and Para-51 of the code of conduct notified by the ECP on 18 September 2026. Every fine was imposed under Para-48 only, the 400 metre campaign ban. None of the orders finds violence against polling staff.
Para-48, as quoted in the orders, has two parts:
- On polling day, no campaigning, canvassing or asking for votes of any kind within 400 metres of a polling station.
- No notices, signs, banners or flags for or against a candidate within 100 metres, inside or outside the station.
The code says a breach "will be treated as an illegal practice". Para-51 bans violence by candidates, agents or supporters against presiding officers, polling staff or security staff. The notices cited it, but no fine was imposed under it.
Our guide to election offences in Pakistan explains how illegal practices differ from corrupt practices, and the court penalties for each.
Most of those fined did not reply to the notice
The notices were issued and decided on the same day, 8 November. In seven of the orders we could read in full, the officer records that the person neither appeared nor replied. Two replied and their replies were rejected.
- Asma Naz Abbasi replied verbally that she visited the polling station but did not interfere in polling. The officer called the reply unsatisfactory.
- Qudsia Batool replied in writing. She said that simply being present at a polling station is not a breach of Para-48 without campaigning, and called the notice vague. The officer rejected the reply.
- For four people, the file shows only the second page of the order, so we cannot say whether they replied.
Each order rests on "available evidence". The orders do not describe that evidence, the polling stations involved or the times.
Pay within three days, or appeal to the ECP within three days
Each person must deposit Rs 50,000 in head of account C02166 using Challan Form 32-A, and send the receipt to the officer within three days. Under the law, they can instead appeal to the Election Commission within three days of the order.
C02166 is the government account head the Election Rules 2017 name as "Receipts of Election Commission of Pakistan under Elections Act 2017". The same rules direct deposits into this head to the State Bank or the National Bank of Pakistan.
| Point | What the law or order says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can fine | An officer the ECP nominates for each district | Section 234(1), Elections Act 2017 |
| Maximum fine | Rs 50,000, after a summary enquiry | Section 234(3) |
| How to pay | Challan Form 32-A, head C02166, receipt within 3 days | DMO orders, 8 November 2026 |
| Appeal | To the Commission within 3 days; its order is final | Section 234(5) |
| Repeat breach by a candidate or party | Referred to the ECP, which can start disqualification proceedings | Section 234(4) |
We read Section 234 in the ECP's copy of the Elections Act 2017. Section 234(4) applies to candidates and parties. None of the 13 people fined appears among the 11 NA-77 candidates on the ECP's Form-47.
These fines are separate from the case against the federal minister
The fines are not the same matter as the ECP's 7 November notice to Federal Minister Atta Ullah Tarar. That case is before the Commission itself, which said the NA-77 result could be withheld until it decides.
The full notice is on our page on the ECP notice on NA-77. Meanwhile, the provisional Form-47 shows PML-N's Raashid Bashir Virk leading NA-77 with 43,365 votes. All the numbers are on our NA-77 and PP-203 result page.
No DMO orders for PP-203 Sahiwal-VI were posted on the ECP page when we checked on 9 November.
Frequently asked questions
Who was fined in the NA-77 by-election?
Thirteen people: five MNAs, four Punjab MPAs, two parliamentary secretaries, the chairman of the Punjab Land Records Authority and a chairperson for disaster management.
How much was each fine?
Rs 50,000 each, the most the law allows a monitoring officer to impose, so Rs 650,000 in total.
What rule did they break?
Para-48 of the ECP code of conduct, which bans campaigning within 400 metres of a polling station on polling day and banners within 100 metres.
Can they appeal the fine?
Yes. Section 234(5) of the Elections Act 2017 allows an appeal to the Election Commission within three days of the order, and the Commission's decision is final.
Does this affect the NA-77 result?
The orders do not say so. The result question rests with the Commission's separate case on the federal minister, which is still pending.
How can I report a code of conduct breach?
Complain to the ECP helpline or the district monitoring officer with the place, time and what you saw. Our ECP complaint guide lists every channel.
Sources and last checked
We downloaded "Notices issued by the DMO in NA-77 bye election" from the ECP's by-elections page on 9 November 2026 and read each order. We read Section 234 in the ECP's copy of the Elections Act 2017. The orders call each person "the Respondent". A finding by a monitoring officer is open to appeal, and we will update this page if the Commission changes any order.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
