MANSEHRA: Eight activists of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were injured when supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz pelted stones on their celebratory rally at Shahnawaz Chowk here on Thursday.

Following the attack, the PTI activists blocked the bypass road to traffic for over two hours. The PTI workers had taken out a rally to celebrate the victory of their party in the July 25 general elections in the district and across country.

As the rally reached near the election office of PML-N’s losing contender, Sardar Shahjehan Yousuf, the people present their pelted the rally with stones. As a result, PTI tehsil president of youth wing Muqadar Shah, Syed Abid Shah, Muzamal Shah and five other workers received injuries.

The injured were taken to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital where their condition is stated to be out of danger. According to eyewitness, some of the people also fired in the air, but when police reached the scene they fled away.

The injured include PTI Mansehra tehsil youth wing president

District police officer Abdul Rasheed Khan also reached the scene and reopened the road to traffic after talks with protesters.

In Battagram, people of rival political parties took to roads on Thursday against alleged ‘poll rigging’ in PK-29.

The protesters blocked the Karakoram Highway for over four hours here.

The protesters chanted slogans against the administration for manipulating results of the polling stations in the provincial assembly constituency.

They rejected PK-29, Battagram-II, results won by a PTI candidate. They claimed that after counting process at 128 polling stations of 149 their candidate from Rahe Haq Party platform was on top and leading the results, but afterwards the administration stopped the announcement of results for two hours and later announced the PTI candidate as winner.

On this occasion, Rahe Haq Party candidate for PK-29, Atta Mohammad and candidate for NA-12 Saeed Ahmed Malka were also present.

The speakers claimed that in three polling stations of Khatona, Banara, Dedal women did not poll votes, but their votes were counted in the final results.

In Peshawar, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl spokesperson told Dawn that the party would arrange protest gatherings all over the country against alleged rigging in July 25 general elections on Friday (today) on the directives of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2018