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MULTAN, Oct 10: Two people were killed while over 50 others, including Variyo family’s Tariq Subhani and a union council Nazim, were injured in election-related violence throughout Punjab on Thursday.
Two persons were killed and five others injured in altercations in Multan.
Mian Raza was shot dead allegedly by area union council Nazim Umer Nawaz at Basti Alamgir polling station on old Shujabad Road which falls under NA-148 and PP-199.
Both were the supporters of PPP candidates Shah Mahmood Qureshi (NA-148) and Syed Nazim Husain Shah (PA-199).
Reports said Umer was beating a person, and when Raza came to his rescue, he shot him dead. Raza’s uncle Falak Sher also sustained bullet injuries and was admitted to the Nishtar Hospital.
In another incident, Rana Ali Sher and accomplices attacked UC-47 Nazim Rana Shamshad in Dera Muhammadi area of NA-148 and PP-202. Shamshad sustained bullet injuries in the head and belly and was admitted to the Nishtar in critical condition. Yameen, Saeed and Abdul Hakeem were also injured in the attack.
Rana Shamshad belongs to Javed Hashmi camp of the PML-N, while Rana Ali Sher to Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
In the evening, three men of the Rana Shamshad group shot dead Rana Ali Sher and injured Mushtaq Bhutta near Chungi Bahawalpur, some 1.5km away from Dera Muhammadi.
The condition of Mushtaq Bhutta was stated to be critical in hospital.
In Darkhana village of Khanewal which falls in NA-156 and PP-212, a clash ensued between the supporters of Mukhtar Shah of the PPP and Dr Khawar Ali Shah of the PML-Q. Four of the PPP activists — Shaukat, Yaqoob, Mansab and Irshad — and one PML-Q supporter Ghulam Mustafa were admitted to the Nishtar in serious condition.
In Sialkot, Variyo family’s Tariq Subhani, the younger brother of PML-QA candidate for PP-125 Khush Akhtar Subhani, was injured in firing by PPP aspirant Tahir Mahmood Hundali and his supporters.
Tahir Mahmood along with supporters reached the Government Primary School, Variyo, polling station and started aerial firing. When they were asked to stop firing by the rival party, they became infuriated and shot at and injured Tariq Subhani, the son of Variyo family’s head Akhtar Ali Variyo. The accused fled while firing in the air. The injured was admitted to the Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
The polling at this polling station remained suspended for about 15 minutes.
Tahir Mahmood had been the ‘right hand’ of Variyo family in the past.
Eight people were injured in a crossfire between PPP and PML-QA activists in PP-131, while as many ballot boxes were taken away by armed men from a polling station of PP-125.
Polling remained suspended for an hour at a polling station due to crossfire.
PML-QA and PPP activists exchanged fire at Khambranwala polling station (PP-131, Sambrial) over a minor issue. As a result, four activists each of the two parties were injured.
The condition of two injured was stated to be critical at the Daska THQ Hospital.
Official sources said six unidentified men held up the polling staff and voters at the Government Girls Primary School (PP-125, Ludhar), loaded eight ballot boxes in a wagon having no number plate, and sped away while firing in the air.
The incident created panic in the area and polling remained suspended for two hours.
The PML-QA and the PPP put the blame on each other.
In the same constituency, voting remained suspended from 3:30pm to 4:30pm in the Government Primary School, Gordanpur, Sialkot Saddar, as PML-QA and PPP activists resorted to aerial firing.
Polling started after 9am in many polling stations of Sialkot city, Daksa, Bhopalwala, Sambrial, Pasrur and adjoining areas because of the late arrival of the agents of the candidates.
Firing incidents were also reported from Lodhikey and Mund polling stations in PP-128.
In Sargodha: Four incidents of exchange of fire were reported in NA-64.
In Kalyanpur, four PPP activists injured six PML-N workers. Police claimed the assailants had been arrested. In Chak 5, Phularwan, three PPP activists were injured by rivals. In Chak 2, 15 and 5 Risala exchange of fire continued for over half an hour between rivals.
In city, three incidents of scuffle were reported.
Former MNA Javed Iqbal Cheema, the brother of Shams Naveed, of the MMA in NA-67 was injured allegedly by the supporters of PML-QA candidate Anwar Ali Cheema.
In Gujrat, some 15 workers of different political parties were injured in clashes.
Three PML-QA workers were injured by seven PPP activists — Iqbal, Imran, Shahbaz, Parvez, Amanat, Azam and Mian Khan — over a vote casting issue in Najan, Tanda (NA-104). Polling remained suspended for more than one hour.
At Mughli polling station, Dinga (NA-106), the polling also remained suspended due to a clash between activists of the MP and the PPP.
About 20 MP activists led by Malick, Arshad, Afzal and Nawaz, attacked PPP men with clubs and injured Anwar Shahid, Qaisar and Shahzad.
At Sohal Khurd polling station, Jalalpur Jattan (NA-104), Mushtaq and Waqar of the PPP and Azam of the PML-QA were injured.
PPP’s Iqbal and Bashir were beaten up by Sarwar, Ghulam and 18 other workers of the PML-QA at the Behalpur polling station, Jalalpur Jattan (NA-104).
In Nindowal, Lalamusa (NA-106), three PPP activists were beaten up by PML-QA and MP activists.
PPP’s Rashid was beaten up by a union council Naib Nazim, Saleem Kamboh, and his musclemen of the PML-QA near the Sir Syed College, Railway Road, polling station.
Later, Kamboh and his supporters were also beaten up by PPP men.
Meanwhile, a woman took away 300 ballot papers from the Boys Primary School, Khohar (Serai Alamgir, NA-107), in the absence of the presiding officer.
In Sahiwal, nine workers of two political parties were injured, one of them seriously, in an altercation at the Government Middle School polling station in Chak 20/14-D.
Reports said Millat Party workers snatched ballot papers from the polling staff and started stamping them. This ensued a clash between supporters of both the PML-QA and the MP. Nazir Sarwar, Ghulam Murtaza, Kabir, Nawaz and Sher Muhammad of the MP and Nabi Bakhsh, Rashid and Amjad of the PML-QA were injured in the clash.
Nabi Bakhsh was shifted to the Nishtar Hospital due to critical condition.
In Bhalwal, four people were injured in an exchange of fire between PML-QA workers and supporters of an independent candidate.
The polling remained suspended for about 90 minutes at the polling station set up at a boys primary school in Chak 5-north. PML-QA’s Sohail Akhtar Gujjar quarrelled with an agent of an independent candidate, Fakhar Iqbal Sindhu. Later, the candidate along with supporters reached the spot and the two groups started firing on each other. In the shootout, four persons — Riaz, Imran, Mudassar and a passer-by woman, Samina — sustained injuries. Some 13 cars were also damaged due to the firing. The police arrested eight persons, including Aslam, Maulvi Rafaqat, Allah Yar, Iftikhar and Nawaz, and recovered weapons from their possession.
In Faisalabad, two people were injured in scuffles between supporters of candidates in Chak Jhumra and Chak 233-RB, Saddar.
Tariq Bajwa was shot at and injured by Nadeem in Chak Jhumra.
Khalid Mahmood sustained bullet injuries when some unidentified men opened fire on the supporters of PPP nominee in Sher Singwala.
Eight men were arrested for arms display.
Clashes among the supporters of candidates were reported from 31 city and 19 rural areas.
The returning officer of NA-85 complained to the police against FIA inspector Ghulam Farid for influencing the voters and trying to disrupt the polling at the polling station No 90 set up in Chak 279-RB.
People’s Colony police arrested PML-QA’s supporters Riaz, Qamar Abbas, Asif, Mushtaq Ali and Sajid Ali on charges of harassing voters outside a polling station in Madina Town by displaying arms.
Ghulam Muhammadabad police arrested Naveed Ali, Mudassar and Najam Abbas on charge of displaying arms.
In Vehari, over six people were injured in election-related violence in various parts of the district.
In Kasur, a union council Nazim and a councillor beat up a presiding officer in Jambar Khurd village when he refused to accept certain rejected votes.
The accused also beat up two other people when they tried to intervene. The polling remained suspended for one hour.
In Nathey Jageer village, two PML-QA supporters were held for firing.
In Khudian, polling remained suspended for about half an hour due to a clash between two supporters of the PML-QA and one of an independent candidate.
