January 19, 2006	Thursday	Zilhaj 18, 1426

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TOBA TEK SINGH, Jan 18: Gojra PPP leader Mian Islam Abid, the tehsil naib nazim candidate, has alleged that the ruling party parliamentarians and police are harassing him to withdraw his candidature in favour of the Warraich group’s Ahsan Akbar.

Speaking to Dawn on telephone (from an unknown place) on Wednesday evening, he claimed that two fake kidnap cases had been registered against him by the Gojra Saddar and Thikriwala police stations and his house was being frequently raided by police due to which he and his family had to leave it four days ago.

Answering a question, Mian Abid denied that tehsil nazim Chaudhry Asad Zaman Cheema had left him alone. “Although Mr Cheema was in Lahore where he met Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, he was still the same group’s candidate and would contest the run-off election in any case on Jan 19.”

Meanwhile, a source disclosed to this correspondent that two days ago a meeting was held in Lahore where the chief minister had categorically told District Nazim Chaudhry Abdul Sattar, Punjab Forest Minister Dr Ashfaqur Rehman, MNA Riaz Fatyana and Gojra Tehsil Nazim Chaudhry Asad Zaman that the tehsil naib nazim slot had already been given to the ruling party MNA, Chaudhry Amjad Warraich, who is the elder brother of former tehsil nazim Khalid Warraich.

The chief minister had reportedly asked Dr Ashfaq, the Cheema group patron and chief opponent of the Warraichs, to withdraw the candidature of Mian Islam and clear the way for unopposed win of the Warraich group’s candidate.