LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has found irregularities in voters lists meant for the upcoming local government elections in Lahore.
PTI MNA Shafquat Mahmood says their party candidates from almost all union councils in Lahore are submitting irregularities to the party office.
Candidates complain about the inclusion of such voters in the lists, who have never been the resident of their constituencies. There are also reports of the registration of new voters at the addresses, where original residents do not recognise them. Many voters’ names do not correspond to their addresses and vice versa.
Mr Mahmood said he had raised the issue of shifting of voters at the National Assembly’s Committee on Electoral Reforms. He said the committee meeting was also attended by Election Commission of Pakistan members and Nadra representatives.
He said PTI teams were also scrutinising polling schemes for the local government elections and party leaders would meet the Lahore commissioner to ensure that the polling schemes are not changed at the eleventh hour.
Ticket decision creates a bunch of independent candidates
He said that there were lots of complaints that voters’ lists provided to their candidates were different than given in the polling schemes. “These irregularities are enough for us to boycott the election but the party has decided to contest elections even in worst cum worst situations,” he said. “The local government elections will strengthen the PTI at the grassroots level,” he asserted.
DISORDER: Besides voters lists, the party is faced with a turmoil within on tickets.
Many faces that joined the party in the recent past have created a sort of disorder in the party after they were denied poll tickets.
“Some opportunists have refused to accept the party decision, taken from grassroots level to the top district body, and have filed their nominations as independent candidates,” says Mr Mahmood, also PTI Lahore organiser. Such cases were reported from around 15 union councils, he added. “There are many genuine workers of the party, who despite having longstanding affiliation with the party, accepted party decision on tickets for the local government elections,” Mr Mahmood lauded.
SEAT ADJUSTMENT: The PTI is supporting Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) candidates for chairman of four union councils 112, 170, 210 and 226 after its support to PTI candidate for NA-122 by-election.
The PTI has also entered into seat adjustment with the JI in other union councils for vice-chairman and councilor’s seats. “The PTI has no party alliance with the Jamaat-i-Islami as it’s just seat adjustment, which it also has with the PML-N,” said Mr Mahmood.
RALLIES: The party leadership has started attending and addressing public meetings and rallies as well as corner meetings in different union councils in Lahore. The party leaders are also opening candidates’ offices amidst drum beats and party songs.
SECURITY: A PTI Lahore team, led by Mr Mahmood, has met the top police officers to convey them that there are chances of clashes between PML-N and PTI workers. He said they asked the police to have coordination with the PTI too to avert eventualities well before time.
The PTI team also committed to providing a list of certain elements, who could act violently against their candidates and workers during the elections.
Capital City Police Officer Amin Wains also informed the PTI team that the police would provide help line, hotline, SMS service and whatsapp numbers in case of the law and order situation anywhere in Lahore. He said the local government elections would be held at some 3,500 polling stations to be established in 1,700 buildings.
MPC: The PTI Punjab has called opposition’s All Parties Conference on October 22 to discuss the irregularities committed in voter lists meant for the NA-122 by-election. The party has decided to invite the PPP, PML-Q, Pakistan Awami Tehreek, the JI and other parties.
Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2015
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