October 7, 2002	Monday	Rajab 29, 1423

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GUJRAT, Oct 6: The Jhelum district government and police on Sunday forcibly closed two election offices of the PPP and one of the PML-N, beat up their workers ahead of the election meeting of Punjab PML(QA) president Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in Jhelum city.

According to reports reaching here, the PPP has set up an election office of its candidates Syed Saeedul Hasan Zaidi for NA-63 and Chaudhry Nadeem Khadam for PP-26 in front of Major Zameer Jaffery Stadium, Suleman Paris area.

Similarly, PML-N established its office for Raja Asad Khan (NA-63) and Sheikh Tanvir (PP-26), a few yards away. The PML-QA arranged the electoral meeting of their leader at nearby Jaffery Stadium. The PPP workers alleged that some musclemen of the district nazim asked them to close their office and remove posters and banners. They also conveyed the same ‘desire’ to PML-N office workers and gave two hours deadline.

After the expiry of the deadline, the musclemen along with police attacked the two offices and also thrashed PPP and PML-N activists.

They removed all the luggage present inside and locked both the offices. They also tore apart banners, posters and hoardings of the two parties.

Later, they erected the hoardings and banners bearing bicycle symbol along both sides of the road leading to the electoral meeting venue.

PPP candidate Gen Saeedul Hasan Zaidi (retd) told Dawn by telephone that when he tried to brought the matter to the notice of the DCO and SSP, he was told the two gentlemen were not present in their offices.

Later, he said, he informed the army about the incident. He said another PPP office was also ransacked and forcibly closed by PML-QA men and police in a nearby locality.

He alleged that a DSP Bashir had supervised the operation. The PML-QA musclemen, he said, were equipped with illicit arms.