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A by-election is going to be held in the constituency for the Punjab Assembly seat, PP-111, Gujrat, on March 24.
Reports said the clash took place when MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and others were passing through the Muslim Bazaar, leading a rally to support the PML-N nominee, Haji Imran Zafar.
As the rally, participated by scores of party workers, reached near the Timbal Bazaar, a group of the PML-Q traders tried to bar the PML-N supporters from chanting slogans, alleging some of the 'N' activists were tearing down the posters of 'Q' candidate Imran Masood.
At this, both sides began chanting slogans against each other and some of the rival workers entered a scuffle. However, the police intervened to defuse the tension and PML-N rally moved on.
Following the clash, the Timble Bazaar and Shahdaula Gate traders closed their shops. The PML-Q traders alleged that the PML-N workers attacked them and injured two of their colleagues. The traders protested against the PML-N outside the Shahdaula Police Station by blocking the road and burning tyres, which disrupted the traffic flow.
The PML-Q Punjab president Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and PML-Q candidate Imran Masood reached the spot to condemn the incident and addressed a protest demonstration on Circular Road in front of the Shahdaula Gate police picket.
Elahi said his party would lodge an FIR against Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khurram Dastgir, Haji Nasir Mehmood and Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, holding them responsible for the incident. He alleged the PML-N leadership had sent these leaders to Gujrat to disrupt the elections as they had 'smelt their defeat'.
Meanwhile, PML-N leaders Khawaja Saad Rafique, Pervaiz Rasheed and Mr Dastgir, in a joint news conference, denied the allegations leveled by the PML-Q. Khawaja alleged the Q workers initiated the clash by hurling abuses at the N-League supporters. The PML-N leaders said Mr Elahi had resorted to 'cheap tactics' to win the voters' sympathies by exaggerating the incident.
He also condemned the burning of the PML-N banners and pamphlets, besides the portraits of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, allegedly by the PML-Q workers.
An application has been filed by the PML-Q trader Sheikh Waqar Waheed with the B-Division police station for the registration of a case against the PML Ns Saad Rafique, Pervaiz Rasheed, Khuram Dastgir and others.
The PML-N has also filed an application with the police, nominating the main leadership of Q-League including former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. However, no case has so far been registered.
DPO Tariq Abbas Qureshi told Dawn the police concerned had received the complaints and would deal with them according to the law. He said no medico-legal report was attached with the PML-Q's application.
