MUZAFFARGARH: Khanewal police on Wednesday registered a case against 12 nominated and 50 other activists of the PML-N for allegedly attacking the house of PPP candidate Mir Wasiq Sarjees on Tuesday night.

The case was registered under sections 452, 506, 354, 148 and 149 of PPC with no arrest.

The PP-206 election [Khanewal] is scheduled to be held on Thursday (today) and electoral campaign ended on Tuesday night.

Earlier on Tuesday, PML-N candidate Rana Saleem Hanif, deputy secretary information Attaullah Tarrar, ex-MNA Rana Ghaffar, ex-MPAs Waheed Araen, Shehzad Maqbool Bhutta, Qaiser Mahey, Saad Kanju, Sheikh Tariq, Chaudhry Maqsood and 50 others armed with weapons reached Sirjees’s house where he had set up his election office.

They allegedly broke the gate, tortured women and asked them to vacate the election office.

After the incident, Mr Sarjees filed a complaint with the Khanewal city police for registration of a case. However, PML-N candidate Rana Saleem Hanif denied the allegations.

According to the first information report, the mob chanted slogans against PPP.

On Wednesday, 12 suspects [nominated in FIR] moved the Multan bench of the Lahore High Court and managed to get bail from Justice Sohail Shakeel Nasir.

In another development, Wasiq Sarjees submitted an application to the returning officer seeking disqualification of Rana Saleem Hanif because his supporters [allegedly] attacked the election office.

The PPP candidate also presented some video clips [of the attack and threats] to the returning officer. The application is pending with the RO.

On the other hand, PML-N’s Atta Tarrar held a press conference at party’s election office along with candidate Rana Salim Hanif.

They alleged that Asif Ali Zardari deputed Nawab Shahzad of Vahari to manage purchase of votes with an allocation of Rs100 million.

They alleged that PPP MNA Aamir Naveed Jeva would manage purchase of votes of the Christian Community from Landhi Colony, Khurrampura and other areas.

However, PPP election campaign committee head Haider Zaman Qureashi and coordination committee member Aamir Hussaini rejected the allegations.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2021