SANGHAR: Additional district coordinator for the national programme, Shama Gulani and four other government employees, Khalid Zahoor Baig, Arbab Zadi, Kalsoom and Jamna, were arrested after they were booked on the allegations of marking postal ballot in favour of a Pakistan Peoples Party candidate on Sunday.

The FIR was registered at the Shahdadpur police station on the complaint of the mukhtiarkar concerned.

The Sanghar deputy commissioner had held an inquiry on Tuesday into the allegations made by an independent candidate Hussain Bux Khaskheli, who had claimed that the suspects had marked the postal ballot papers of government employees at Shahdadpur Institute of medical sciences. He submitted certain evidence to substantiate his claim.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the alleged misappropriation and destruction of postal ballot papers in Khipro, the district returning officer concerned on Sunday suspended two court employees.

Ghulam Murtaza Channa, the reader at the court of the additional sessions judge of Khipro, and Muneer Tehlani, a clerk at the same court, were suspended over alleged misappropriation of the postal ballot papers pertaining to NA-216 Sanghar-II.

While an inquiry into the matter was underway, the returning officer concerned has claimed that he had issued 930 ballot papers, and not close to 1,200 as was alleged. He said he possessed complete record of the ballot papers he had issued so far.

Similar complaints were received from the Jam Nawaz Ali area and an inquiry was reported to have been ordered.

Meanwhile, Dawn has learnt that the suspects in all three incidents are not complying with the deputy commissioner’s orders as they and some officials summoned by him did not appear before him to explain their position.

The DC has sent his report in this regard to the provincial election commission.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2018