GUJRANWALA: PML-N activists on Wednesday displayed banners portraying as successful their aspirant for chairman of Union Council 16 and his panel in Satellite Town and various parts of the city and congratulated him even before the local body elections.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader and former MPA S.A. Hamid called it pre-poll rigging and a violation of election code of ethics.

PML-N nominee Sheikh Sarwat Ikram, a former president of the Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was an aspirant for the city’s mayor and backed by Federal Minister for Trade and Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan.

When the PTI found out about the banners in Satellite Town and other parts of city, it protested and demanded the election commission take action against Ikram, calling it a clear violation of the election code of ethics and a pre-poll rigging.

The district election commissioner monitoring team had the banners removed and sought a report about it.

Ikram feigned ignorance at the display of banners and called it a conspiracy by his rivals.

Banners removed portraying UC-16 chairman candidate as successful

He claimed Gujranwala was the “fort of PML-N” and fully confident about the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif while all party aspirants would succeed with a majority in the local elections.

HOLIDAY: District Coordination Officer (DCO) Amir Jan on Wednesday announced a local holiday on Thursday (today) in the city on the occasion of the local elections and issued a notification.

DEPLOYMENT: Police have been deployed at polling stations in Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin and Hafizabad for the second phase of local elections, while all licenced arms of aspirants and their supporters have been taken into custody. Army and Rangers will remain on standby.

At a press conference, Commissioner Shamail Ahmad Khwaja and Regional Police Officer Muhammad Tahir said there were 1,807 polling stations in Gujranwala district, 554 in Mandi Bahauddin and 518 Hafizabad. Four companies of the army and two of Rangers would be on standby besides deployment of a police contingent.

The senior officials said 109 cases of brandishing arms were registered in Gujranwala, 20 in Hafizabad and 10 in Mandi Bahauddin, while 21 Kalashnikovs, 22 rifles, nine guns and 91 pistols and over 800 other weapons were seized. They said about 2,572 aspirants had submitted surety bonds and affidavits in courts that they would abide by the election code of ethics.

They also warned that firing and taking out of rallies in jubilation was banned and violators would be arrested. They added that law enforcement agencies would be on high alert to avert any untoward incident.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2015