Gandapur visited polling station to prevent rigging, says Imran Khan

Published June 5, 2015
PTI chairman says Ali Ameen Gandapur was not involved in poll rigging and is being politically victimised. — INP/file
PTI chairman says Ali Ameen Gandapur was not involved in poll rigging and is being politically victimised. — INP/file

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehkreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan said on Friday that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Revenue Minister Ali Ameen Gandapur is being politically victimised and that he had appeared at a polling station in D.I. Khan to prevent rigging from taking place.

The PTI Chairman was talking to media at a local hotel prior to a seminar on environment.

Gandapur is facing three charges, including snatching ballot boxes from the polling staff in Himad area and threatening them and police deployed there. He surrendered himself to the Saddar Police Station on Monday night after high drama and intervention of the central PTI leadership.

Read: PTI's Gandapur manhandled polling staff, says police report

Earlier, following the registration of case against him, Ali Ameen had claimed he had not broken any law. He said he went to a polling station after learning about rigging in the counting of votes after the polling time ended.

“At the polling station, I saw our man’s rival candidates rig electoral process, I took away ballot boxes to check rigging,” he said.

According to a copy of a report on the incident prepared by District Police Officer (DPO) Sadiq Baloch, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's revenue minister entered a female polling station in Himad area where he had manhandled Station House Officer of the area police station as well as female polling staff deployed at the polling station.

Imran Khan once again held Election Commission responsible for rigging and indiscipline during the recently held local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Imran announces Rs1bn for tree plantation in KP

Addressing the seminar, the PTI chairman said strict action must be taken against timber mafia. He was also critical of metro bus project, saying the government should spend on education, justice and security.

Also read: KP govt was responsible for law, order during LG polls: ECP

The PTI chief said that timber mafia is protected and patronised by politicians and bureaucrats but KP government has decided to take them on and we will not back out.

Imran further announced, through his party’s Twitter account, that Rs2 billion have been allocated for the plantation of 1 billion trees in the province.

Answering the concerns that how these funds will be generated, Imran said that the PTI government has recovered Rs8-10 billions by carrying out operations against timber mafia.

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