LAHORE, Feb 20: Three political workers were injured in firing by opponents in a post-election violence in Nadirabad in the South Cantonment area on Wednesday.

A police official, requested not to be named, told Dawn that PML-Q supporters of Arshad Jatt opened fire on PML-N activists of Rashid Sindhu, a close aide of PML-N leader Khwaja Saad Rafiq. The firing left Usman and two others injured. They were rushed to a local hospital.

Before opening fire on each other, the official said, both groups first exchanged harsh words and abuses.

Cantonment division SP Ahmad Kamal, however, claimed that the Dilshad and Usman groups, both cousins and neighbours, fell out over supporting their respective parties. Later, they attacked each other with sticks that left three people injured.

The SP confirmed that an aerial firing incident took place, but hastened to add that no one sustained injuries as a result of firing.

The SP said both groups were summoned to the police station for legal formalities.

Asif’s murder case: Police have yet to find any clue to the killers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate from PP-154, Asif Ashraf, even two days after he was assassinated.

Asif and his three partymen were gunned down in an ambush by five assailants in front of his election office on Green Town Main Road on Feb 17, a day before the general election.

The Model Town investigation police on Wednesday officially launched the investigation into the incident after freeing from the election duties on Feb 18 and 19.

DIG (Investigation) Chaudhry Tassaduq Husain, who is heading the investigation team, visited the crime scene along with other members, reviewed the scene and issued necessary directions.

Sources privy to the investigation told Dawn that though the family had not nominated any person, the police investigation included the aspects of election-related violence and Asif’s possible opponents.

“Asif and his father-in-law Hakim Ali have been involved in litigation over property issues with some people, including a candidate of provincial constituency, and some cases have been traced in different police stations,” sources said.

He had survived an attempt on his life on Jan 14 when some unidentified people sprayed his vehicle with bullets near Ghausia Chowk, College Road, as he was on way to UC-132 for election campaign.

“It was a life attempt on me, but I luckily survived,” Asif Ashraf had told Dawn by phone on Jan 14 but he did not disclose the elements who wanted to kill him. It is worth mentioning that neither Asif nor his family had nominated the people in the first information reports got registered separately in police stations of Sattukatla and Township against incidents of life attempt and murder.

The DIG told Dawn that the police could not start investigation into the case due to election duties on Feb 18 and 19. “Though the assassination of Mr Asif and his colleagues is still a mystery, the police investigators have started recording statements of the witnesses and the family,” he said.