ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party has urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take action against police officers who stopped party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his cavalcade from visiting the shrine of Hazrat Jalaluddin Bukhari in Uch Sharif on Saturday.

A written complaint on the issue was filed by PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari during his visit to the ECP headquarters on Sunday.

According to the letter, Mr Bhutto-Zardari was schedule to speak at a public meeting on Saturday evening in Uch Sharif, Bahawalpur district. But before speaking at the rally, he wanted to visit the shrine of Hazrat Jalaluddin Bukhari.

However, when the PPP chairman’s cavalcade was proceeding to the shrine, police blocked the road and did not allow him to visit the shrine. “DSP Safdar [who was] on duty said that Inspector General of Police, Punjab, and the District Police Officer had instructed him not to allow the leadership of PPP to visit the shrine,” the letter said.

The PPP secretary general said the orders of the Punjab IG and the DPO of Bahawalpur, executed by DSP Safdar, were against the law and the Constitution because they curtailed freedom of movement ensured under the Constitution as a fundamental right.

The PPP leader urged the ECP to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.

Another PPP leader, Sherry Rehman, wrote a similar letter to the ECP, which said: “This is to bring to your attention the Punjab police’s attempted prevention of Bilawal Bhutto’s campaign convoy from reaching Mazar Uch Sharif, Punjab....”

“As you know, any such action at any time, but especially at a point during the run-up to a general election, amounted to violation of the rules and code of conduct under which a free, fair and transparent election was to be held. It brings the purported neutrality of the provincial caretaker government, in this case the Punjab government, into clear doubt,” the letter said.

She said a clear link between senior police officials and partisan political activism was established in this particular case which was quite alarming. “It opens up the conduct of key public officials, such as the DIG police, as highly questionable and renders their actions as clearly motivated by mala fide intent,” she added.

“On behalf of the PPP, I request you to take immediate notice and action to ensure both the security and open, unfettered mobility of our candidates in all four provinces of Pakistan.” Ms Rehman said.

“I look to you for prompt intervention in any such case, which in the discharge of your duties to ensure a fair election, must include the prevention of such malicious blockades in what amounts to be a clear case of attempted pre-poll rigging,” she added.'

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2018