TOBA TEK SINGH: Former PTI federal minister Farrukh Habib alleges that PML-N candidate Ajmal Cheema in connivance with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has planned to obtain postal ballot papers of government employees in PP-97.

Habib, who was accompanied by PP-97 PTI candidate Ali Afzal Sahi and former MNA Faizullah Kamoka, told a press conference in Faisalabad on Tuesday that Sahi had given an application to the district election commissioner about this “conspiracy” and apprised him that under the law the government servants were eligible to cast votes only through postal ballot.

He claimed the state machinery and funds were being unlawfully used by the administration to ensure victory of the PML-N candidate. He said 25,000 votes of another constituency had been included in the voters’ list of a Lahore seat.

He criticised Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz for exempting electricity consumers having 100 units from payment and called it pre-poll rigging. He said economy of the country had been ruined by the coalition government in 80 days and a large number of workers had been rendered jobless due to closure of 400 textile mills as a result of inflated tariff of gas and electricity.

He said PTI chairman Imran Khan would address a historic public meeting at Chak Jhumra, Faisalabad, to support the party candidate.

Meanwhile, a press release said Imran Khan would address a public meeting at Athara Hazari in Jhang on July 9 to support PP-127 ticket-holder and at Mai Heer Stadium on July 13 for PP-125 candidate.

MURDER: A youngster killed his cousin at Pirmahal’s Chak 761-GB when her parents rejected his marriage proposal.

Amer Zahoor complained in the FIR registered under section 302 of PPC by the Arrouti police that Khalid Nawaz entered his house and shot dead his sister Musarrat Bibi, 17, with whom he wanted to contract marriage.

Police said they were conducting raids to arrest the suspect.

ILLEGAL HUNTING: The Shorkot Cantonment police on Tuesday registered a case against three nominated and two unidentified persons for hunting a rare blue bull in forest.

In an FIR registered under section 429 of PPC, section 9 of The Punjab Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Act 1974 and section 26-1 of The Punjab Protected Areas Act 2020, wildlife inspector Qamar Rehman claimed that in forest’s wildlife plantation reserved area a rare blue bull had been residing for long and Shahbaz Riaz Bhatti, a resident of Kabirwala (Khanewal), Akram Saroya of Samundri (Faisalabad ) and Faisal Javed of Shorkot Cantonment and their two accomplices shot the bull and later slaughtered it on June 27.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2022