LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate for by-election Dr Yasmin Rashid on Thursday reiterated her concerns about pre-poll rigging stating that her party had submitted 17 petitions to the Election Commission but all in vain so far.

“The government is not giving level-playing field to the PTI in the by-election,” she said.

Speaking to party workers and supporters during her door-to-door campaign on Nisbet Road, Dr Rashid said she had serious apprehensions about the polling scheme. She said the ECP had yet not taken any action against anyone for violating the code of conduct.

She demanded that the ECP appoint presiding officers from outside Punjab because all government employees from educational institutions would be working under the influence of the ruling party. She also regretted that people from the NA-120 constituency were being appointed as presiding officers.

Dr Rashid said the PTI had submitted a petition about the non-verification of 29,000 voters but the ECP did not reply. She stressed that the institutions could only be strengthened, if they would exert their authority.

Meanwhile, Dr Yasmin Rashid has condemned alleged torture of a woman worker by “a PML-N goon”, warning of blockade of The Mall if the suspect was not arrested by 11am, Friday (today).

At a news conference at her clinic, Dr Rashid said a party worker Nida was making video of a container that had blocked The Mall for Maryam Nawaz’s public meeting, when a PML-N youth wing “goon” approached her and dragged her out of the car.

She said the attacker (whose picture was shown in the press conference), abused the PTI worker, kicked her and even torn her clothes.

Stating that a complaint had been launched with the Qila Gujjar Singh police, Dr Rashid warned if the suspect was not arrested and sent behind the bars before 11am (Friday), the PTI would block The Mall.

She said party chairman Imran Khan would also join the sit-in till the suspect was held accountable.

PUBLIC MEETING: PTI central Punjab president Abdul Aleem Khan and MPA Shoaib Siddiqui on Thursday visited Qartaba Chowk to examine arrangements for a public meeting to be addressed by party chairman Imran Khan on Friday.

Speaking to media persons as well as addressing NA-120 coordinators meeting, Mr Khan said the political scene had changed and the whole nation was now supporting Imran Khan. It merits mentioning that the district administration has not given formal permission for the public gathering at Qartaba Chowk till the filing of this report.

FAISAL MIR: PPP candidate for NA-120 Faisal Mir has alleged that the federal and provincial ministers and legislators are running the campaign of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz in violation of election commission’s code of conduct, urging the ECP to take action against them.

“The PML-N ministers and legislators are openly running the campaign of Begum Kusloom and using the state machinery. The Punjab government is giving full protocol to Maryam Nawaz. This must be stopped by the ECP,” Mr Mir told a press conference here on Thursday.

He alleged that the ruling party was harassing the PPP workers and the banners of his campaign were being removed at the behest of the PML-N leadership. He urged the Lahore High Court to decide his petition against the candidature of Kulsoom Nawaz before the election (Sept 17). Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz campaigned for her mother in four union councils.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2017