February 21, 2008	Thursday	Safar 13, 1429

KHANEWAL, Feb 20: A large number of PML-N workers on Wednesday took out a rally against the rejection of a petition filed by their candidate for recounting of votes.

Reports said that PML-N candidate Muhammad Khan Daha from NA-157 (Khanewal-2) had moved the court, but the returning officer rejected his plea of recounting.

Soon after the verdict, PML-N activists led by party’s Khanewal president Haji Irfan Ahmad Khan Daha, started marching towards the bazaars and pelted stones on shops and removed billboards on their way. Shopkeepers closed their shops before reaching of the angry mob in various markets.

Protesters also shouted slogans against PML-Q candidate Hamid Yar Hiraj alleging that he had won the elections due to massive rigging.

“We will not challenge the results in the high court or the Supreme Court, but we will file a writ petition in the Election Commission,” said the PML-N district president and candidate’s father Muhammad Khan Daha.

Meanwhile, similar petitions filed by PPP candidate Barrister Haidar Zaman Qureshi (NA-158 Khanewal-3) and PML-N candidate Shahzad Khakwani (PP-216 Khanewal-5) were also rejected by the returning officers concerned.

“I had a lead of almost 6,000 votes against Aslam Bodla as per results received from 222 polling stations out of a total 244 in my constituency. The results from rest of the polling stations could make available neither to us nor to the returning officer concerned’, said Haidar Zaman.

“I am going to challenge the results in the apex court as I have solid proofs of rigging’, he said.