LAHORE: As the mainstream parties candidates have intensified canvassing for votes for July 21 election on Lahore seat of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and PPP have accused the ruling party of ‘buying votes’.

There are about 4,000 votes for LA-37 Valley-II (Lahore). The opposition parties allege that the PML-N candidate is using state machinery to buy votes.

“First, the PML-N managed to get some bogus votes registered and now it is trying to buy votes,” claimed PPP candidate Umar Sharif Bokhari.

The PPP is unhappy with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for “not deleting bogus votes” from voter lists.

“Duplication of votes still exists even after publication of the final voters’ lists. We have brought this matter to the knowledge of the ECP but to no avail,” Mr Bokhari said, adding his posters and banners had been removed from many areas of his constituency.

PTI candidate Ghulam Mohiuddin Dewan said the PML-N candidate was using state machinery to “buy” Kashmiri votes and he was also taking pledge from them.

“The PML-N ministers and legislators are promising the Kashmiri voters jobs and government loan. They are openly buying the votes. We have asked the ECP to take notice of this,” Dewan alleged.

“Even the chief minister held several meetings in this regard, directing the ministers and legislators to ensure victory in Kashmir poll in the province,” he said, adding the PML-N could not contest any election without “goons and rigging”.

Dewan also alleged that the ruling party had got more than 500 fake votes registered and the ECP paid no heed to his request to look into the matter.

“This 500 bogus votes will play a major role since the total number of votes in the constituency is about 4,000.”

The candidates of both the opposition parties fear violence in LA-37 Valley-II (Lahore) election if the Punjab police were engaged on the polling day.

“In the last Kashmir election in Lahore more than three dozen people had suffered injuries. We do not want repeat of it next week here,” Dewan said:

Both the PPP and PTI candidates had announced that they would boycott the election if not held under the army.

“We heard that the army will be deployed in the Kashmir election but we have not received anything in writing from the ECP in this regard,” Mr Bokhari said, adding he had written to the ECP that ‘peaceful election’ under the Punjab police in Lahore was not possible. He said all seven polling stations in the city were sensitive.

The PML-N’s candidate Abbas Mir rubbished the opposition allegations, saying they had seen their defeat in the election.

“Nobody should have any objection to the canvassing by the parliament members of the ruling party. Every party has a right to do so,” he said.

He alleged that double votes got registered by Dewan had been deleted from lists, therefore, the PTI candidate had no chance to win the election. MNA Pervaiz Malik is supervising Mr Mir’s campaign in the city. The PPP had won the Lahore seat in the last couple of elections. The three candidates - Bokhari, Mir and Dewan - are positive about their win. Both Mir and Dewan were once part of the PPP.

These candidates have intensified their campaign in areas like Shahdara Town, Badami Bagh, Gulberg, Harbanspura, Shadbagh, Mochi Gate and Shah Alam Market where most of Kashmiri vote are registered.

Talking to Dawn, Abdul Wahab, a resident of Mohallah Kashmiran, Mochi Gate, said the winning candidates in Lahore in the past had done nothing for the Kashmiris.

“No jobs were given to us. No special fund was created for the Kashmiris living here,” he complained.

“We want a candidate here who could look after his voters in the Azad Kashmir assembly,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2016