LAHORE, Feb 18: Sporadic violence claimed 11 lives and injured over four dozens across the province on Monday. Most of the violence was the result of attempts by rival groups to rig the elections. At places, such violence disrupted the polling process, which was resumed after hours.
FAISALABAD: A Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) activist was gunned down at Chak No 208-RB. PML-N and PML-Q activists resorted to firing after exchange of hot words. As a result, Abdus Sattar was killed on the spot, APP reported.
Rangers arrested two people and seized seven weapons from them, according to Rangers In-Charge Colonel Imtiaz. Rangers took action after they visited Dogran polling station. Seeing Rangers, some supporters of Tariq Bajwa, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate for NA-75, opened fire on them.
Col Imtiaz told Dawn that in the trade of fire two vehicles were also damaged.
Sporadic incidents of violence were also reported from different parts of the district in which four people were injured.
Rehmat Ali, of NA-77, said polling at women’s polling stations in Mohammad Wala and Chak 34 remained suspended for one hour when some PML-Q women workers allegedly forced voters to cast vote for their party. Police arrested three PML-Q supporters in Shehzad Colony and Sattiana Road for trying to rig the poll.
TOBA TEK SINGH: Union Council 25 Naib Nazim Asif Saeed was killed in a shootout between the supporters of PML-Q PP-86 candidate Dr Ashfaqur Rehman and independent candidate Tahir Pervaiz Anjum in Chak 383 JB-Allahyar Pind. The deceased was a close friend of Dr Ashfaqur. Four people were also injured in the shootout. Polling remained suspended for three hours at Chak 383-JB Allahar Pind and Chak 293-GB Sheroon.
MANDI BAHAUDDIN: Seven people were injured when PPP and PML-Q supporters traded fire at different places. Five people were injured in Qadarabad while two others in Mandi Bahauddin. All the injured people are from the PPP.
MUZAFFARGARH: Up to 17 people were injured in Sultanpur, Mannah and Muhammad Musa polling stations. Six people were injured in Sultanpur Union Council in
Alipur, when PML-Q supporters allegedly opened fire at PPP workers. In Mannah of Kot Addu, four PPP workers were injured while in Pipplan near Basira four people and one man at Muhammad Musa polling station also sustained injuries.
SIALKOT: A PML-N worker died while another two men were injured in poll-related clashes. Lala Fiaz was allegedly shot dead by PML-Q supporter over a polling dispute outside Government Primary Boys’ School in Aadha. PML-Q’s Adil opened fire on Fiaz leaving dead him at the crime scene. The accused is the son of the union council nazim of Sehjo Kala. The killing led to disruption of polling for a few hours.
Daska-based former PML-N member of the National Assembly Sahibzada Syed Iftikharul Hasan was injured when some unidentified people beat him outside a polling station near Chungi No 8. He is the uncle of Syed Murtaza Ameen, PML-N candidate for NA-113.
Another PML-N worker Rana Saeed Ahmad was shot injured by the alleged firing of PML-Q supporters in Gondal-Sialkot.
NAROWAL: Pool-day violence claimed tow lives in the district. In Jodhey-Kot Nainaan, Narowal, PML-Q worker Muhammad Saleem was killed by the armed supporters of independent candidate Chaudhry Tariq Anees.
In the same area, Muhammad Rafique was killed when supporters of independent candidate Tariq Anis and the PML-Q were trading fire. Rafique was also a PML-Q supporter.
GUJRANWALA: Two people were killed and two dozen others injured while police arrested 75 miscreants, including a former MPA’s son and three naib nazims, for disrupting the poll process.
PPP and PML-Q traded fire at Shah Dola Pir polling station, NA-99. PML-Q’s Amjad was injured and shifted to Mayo Hospital in Lahore where he died.
Three PML-N activists — Hafiz Zahid, Liaqat Billa and Ashraf — were tortured by PML-Q workers in Ghakkhar. Police arrested 15 assailants, including Jamal Nasir Cheema, son of PML-Q former MPA Chaudhry Nasir Cheema. Police arrested PML-Q workers in Naushera Virkan for resorting to aerial firing. Sabzi Mandi police arrested 25 people, including three naib nazims, and 20 women for casting their votes through fake identity cards. Armed PML-Q workers kidnapped a presiding officer and his staff with ballot boxes from Tala Sharif in Naushera Virkan. Some other PML-Q supporters took away ballot boxes from Thatha Gulab Singh polling station in NA-99.
SAHIWAL: Four armed people kidnapped PPP worker Aziz Ahmed and his fellow Prince Iqbal from Government High School Chak 90/9-L. PML-Q workers broke ballot boxes at Government High School Chak 99/6-R polling station when PPP workers tried to stop them from rigging. PPP worker Amanul Masih was also injured by the fire of the rivals.
VEHARI: Minor clashes left seven people injured in Vehari. The polling process was disrupted many a times in Tibba Sultanpur, Sheikh Fazal, Chak 184-WB, Chak Mughal, Muhammad Shah, Chak 19/WB, 176/WB, Ram Kali, Sahoka, Gagoo and Machiwal polling stations due to clashes between rival groups.
OKARA: In NA-146, Shaukat Ali, the supporter of independent candidate Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, was shot dead in Lumari polling station. Police sources said Manzoor Wattoo’s rivals killed him.
Six polling stations were closed and army troops had to intervene when rivals clashed over poll issues. In Chak ¾-L, independent candidate Mehr Abdul Sattar scuffled with police and resorted to aerial shooting, which led to the closure of polling. In Chak 12/4, supporters of Sattar and PML-Q candidate Maj (retd) Rao Khalil Akhtar traded fire. Also, at Kot Muhammad Husain polling stations, the supporters of PML-Q took away ballot boxes which also led to the closure of the polling.
BAHAWALPUR: Four violent incidents were reported from different areas of the district. An unidentified man allegedly resorted to aerial firing at Chak No 4-DRB polling station in NA-187, where former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was candidate.
Returning Officer Malik Saeed Awan told Dawn the polling staff handed over the accused to police for aerial firing .He added that the accused was drunk. Polling was suspended at Chak No 9 and 21/DRB polling stations in NA-187 following complaints of rival candidates’ supporters that police officials deployed there were stamping ballot papers.
In Basti Lambardarwali, there were complaints of stamping ballot papers by candidates themselves. The polling station was established in the open and the candidates openly stamped the ballots. A scuffle between the supporters of PML-Q candidate Makhdum Sami Gilani and PPP candidate Sheikh Arif Aziz occurred in Ahmedpur East polling station.
KASUR: A teenaged boy was shot dead while three others were injured in Bongay Kalan. A row broke out between the supports of independent candidate Sardar Hassan Akhtar Mokal and PML-Q’s Muhammad Javed Ashiq Dogar. Both groups traded fire which took the life of passer-by class six student whose name could not be ascertained. Two other passers-by were also injured.
HAFIZABAD: A man was shot dead while 17 others were injured in different incidents. PML-Q supporters shot dead Zafar Iqbal, a PPP supporter of Kot Nawan, and injured Ansar and Mukhtar. Five PML-Q and three PPP workers were also injured in clashes at Government Muslim High School in Hafizabad.
GUJRAT: An old woman was killed and dozens others, mainly from the PPP and the PML-N, were injured in the violence-hit polling.
Husain Bibi was killed in a scuffle between PML-Q and PPP workers at Surkh Pur poling station when both rival groups pelted at each other with bricks and stones. Husain Bibi died when a brick hit her in the head. Seven others were also injured.
BAHAWALNAGAR: A PPP worker, Rana Khawar, died in crossfire in Chak No 102 Fateh, Chishtian. PPP and PML-Q groups clashed over an election dispute and started indiscriminate firing at each other which left Abida Bibi, Rabia Rasool, Rehana, Rana Khawar and Rana Azam injured. Later Khawar, a diehard worker of the PPP, died. A poll-related clash also occurred in Chak 109 Fateh where three people were also injured.
SHEIKHUPURA: The law and order situation during the polling process remained normal in the district, however, a few incidents of scuffle occurred at different places.
Union Council 64 Nazim Qamar Iqbal Dar was tortured by PML-N supporters when he stopped them from casting fake votes.
In Harchand, 25 unidentified people sneaked in local polling station and took away four ballot boxes at gunpoint. Ghulam Mustafa, an employee of the Irrigation Department, deployed at Holewala polling station in NA 131, died due to a heart attack.
MULTAN: No untoward incident of violence was reported in the district, however, a few incidents of rigging occurred which led to the disruption of the polling process. In Basti Baghwanpur, NA-151, policemen cast votes for PML-Q candidate Sikandar Bosan. Town Police Officer Hasan Khan stopped reporters and photographers from entering the polling station. Union Council Nazim Chaudhry Waheed allegedly snatched ballot papers from women and stamped them for the PML-Q candidate. In Mumtazabad, PPP workers seized an identity card manufacturing machine from a PML-Q worker. At many polling stations, where PPP had a majority of voters, the polling could not be held as the Election Commission did not send any polling staff there. These areas include: Middle School Jalwala and Government Primary School Nawabpur.
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.