LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday organised a motorcycle rally in NA-120 to give a festive touch the campaign for by-election.

The motorcycle rally led by NA-120 by-election candidate Dr Yasmin Rashid, party’s central Punjab president Abdul Aleem Khan and Chaudhry Sarwar saw workers and supporters wearing party flag caps, T-shirts, wrist-bands and holding party flags. It moved through streets and roads of the constituency and the participants chanted slogans in favour of the PTI and its leadership.

Speaking to the rally participants as well as residents of the constituency, Dr Yasmin Rashid said the PTI had submitted 25 petitions with the ECP regarding violation of code of conduct but all in vain. She said development works were continuing in the constituency and the ministers were actively campaigning for disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s wife Kulsoom Nawaz. “The ECP did not take any action and only issued a warning to provincial minister Bilal Yasin for campaigning in the constituency,” she said.

The PTI candidate said the police registered a case against a PML-N goon for torturing a woman worker of the party but no arrest had been made so far. She said the Sharif family had camped in London due to references filed by NAB.

Earlier in the day, Dr Yasmin along with Aleem Khan opened party offices in different areas and spoke to the media persons.

Speaking to the media, Aleem Khan said the residents of the NA-120 were deprived of clean drinking water despite the fact that the Sharif family was ruling in Punjab as well as at federal level. He said this constituency had returned prime minister thrice but its voters were not provided even basic civic amenities.

PTI Secretary-General Jehangir Tareen chaired a meeting of union council chairmen, vice-chairmen and coordinators and reviewed election campaign.

POLITICAL SUPPORT: The PTI leaders called on PML-Q leadership and sought its full support for its candidate Dr Yasmin Rashid in NA-120 by-poll. PTI leader Chaudhry Sarwar, Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, Hamid Meraj and Mian Majid met Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, PML Secretary General Tariq Bashir Cheema, Senator Kamil Ali Agha, PML-Q Punjab Assembly parliamentary leader Moonis Elahi and Mian Munir at the residence of the Chaudhrys and sought cooperation.

Addressing joint press conference after the meeting, Pervaiz Elahi said Senator Agha would run the election campaign for the PTI candidate and the PML-Q women would also be deployed as polling agents. He said the PML-Q had supported the PTI in the bye-elections and “we are trying that entire opposition should jointly support their candidate”.

He said Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif were ‘rigging specialists’ and it was feared that they might do it in the forthcoming election as well. He demanded that the government make public Justice Baqar Najafi report on Model Town killings. “Shahbaz Sharif and others will not get away with murder in this case,” he added.

Expressing gratitude for supporting the PTI candidate, Chaudhry Sarwar said the Muslim League had also guided and supported it in NA-122. “Senator Agha has great influence in NA-120 and we are thankful to Mr Elahi for giving us women polling agents.”

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2017