Slap heard in Pakistan’s Supreme Court

Pakistan’s Supreme Court Friday began hearing an incident in which a political party’s woman candidate slapped a polling officer during voting in an assembly by-poll, a media report said.

Taking suo moto notice, the court began its hearing into the incident in which Waheeda Shah, the Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) candidate, slapped an assistant presiding officer, Geo News reported.

The PPP candidate Feb 25 slapped the official at a polling station during the assembly by-poll held in Tando Mohammad Khan in Sindh province.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, taking notice of the incident, summoned Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sindh, Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Waheeda Shah, the PPP candidate, March 2.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had withheld the result of the by-election for PS-53, the assembly constituency where the incident took place.

On the poll panel’s directive, a case was registered against Shah.