February 19, 2008	Tuesday	Safar 11, 1429

LAHORE, Feb 18: Numerous incidents of aerial firing and scuffles between activists of political parties were reported from different parts of the city during and after polling on Monday, say Edhi and police officials.

However, no major incident of violence was reported from the provincial metropolis and relatively calm prevailed after the Sunday’s incident in which a PML-N candidate for the Punjab Assembly along with his couple of comrades was gunned down in Green Town.

Five people were injured during a couple of stampedes in the wake of aerial firing by activists of political parties at different polling stations.

Presiding officers stopped polling process at various stations. The polling, however, resumed after some time while reports of casting bogus votes were also received from some polling stations.

The police registered nine cases of bogus voting and display and use of weapons at different police stations, Capital City Police Officer Malik Iqbal told Dawn.

Sources said Ghalib Market police arrested seven people for casting bogus votes to PML-Q candidate Humayun Akhtar Khan and registered a case against them.

Similarly, Ghalib Market police also registered a case against a man, Shafqat, for casting bogus vote in favour of Humayun Akhtar.

Three women — Rehana, Sitara and Saadia — were held for casting bogus vote in Harbanspura, while Sanda police arrested Shaheen Bibi.

Separate cases were registered against them.

Baghbanpura, Harbanspura, Shafiqabad, Shahdara and Raiwind police also registered cases against four people for displaying weapons and resorting to aerial firing.

Two people sustained injuries when they hit barbed wires during a stampede after two rival groups resorted to aerial firing over a dispute of setting up polling camps outside FG Boys School No 5 in North Cantonment. The polling also remained closed for quite some time.

Similarly, three people injured in a stampede when aerial firing took place at a polling station in Dharampura.

At least, five firing incidents took place at polling stations in Panju and Jhullky, Suiay Asal, Attu Aasil and Lakhu Dahar villages in Kahna.

In Lakhu Dahar, PML-Q supporters resorted to aerial firing to create fear among voters, but the Rangers personnel rushed to the troubled area. Though the polling remained halted for a while, it resumed shortly afterwards. The police, however, denied any such report.

A firing incident was also reported at the PML-N’s election office in Mughalpura.

The polling got halted temporarily near Workshop Stop in Walton when supporters of rival parties pelted stones on each other during a brawl. No injury was, however, reported in the incident.

Members of two groups attacked each other with sticks at Government High School polling station of Baseen village in Wagah.

A local union council nazim, Abdul Waheed, reportedly tried taking polling staff hostage to cast bogus votes at the FC College polling station, but the police intervened quickly. The polling got halted in the event resumed shortly.

In the Pakki Thathi area of Samanabad, the balloting remained halted at some polling stations for over two hours due to a scuffle between activists of the PPP and the PML-Q.

Similarly in Gulberg, the police also arrested PPP and PML-N activists for scuffling with PML-Q men.

In Baghbanpura, a group of armed people tortured the Baghbanpura station house officer when he tried to stop activists of a political party from displaying weapons.

In Ghaziabad, a scuffle took place between PPP and PML-Q activists at a polling station at the Government High School over a dispute of casting bogus votes.

In Naseerabad, balloting remained suspended for over four hours at four polling stations due to scuffles between activists of different political parties after which the police controlled the situation and helped polling staff resume polling.

The situation remained tense in Green Town, Township and suburbs all the day after target killing of PML-N candidate for PP-154, Chaudhry Asif Ashraf, on Sunday night.

BOGUS CALLS: Fake calls received at the police control room included reporting of firing of two rockets in Naseerabad, killing of three people by firing near Pindi Stop and blast in Defense Housing Authority’s F Block and Scheme Mor.

RUN OVER: An assistant presiding officer, Mian Hadayatullah, 45, was killed when a speeding car ran him over near Dharampura Bridge on Monday morning.

He was going to his polling station near Jaurray Bridge for election duty on his motorcycle.

CARDIAC ARREST: A polling official died of a cardiac arrest while performing his duties at Rakhpoly polling station.

Ghulam Mustafa, 45, of Sheikhupura, was employee of the provincial irrigation department.