FAISALABAD, Sept 24: The district police officer said on Tuesday that the raid on the election office of Dr Nisar Ahmad “has been politicized.”

In a handout issued here DPO Zafar Iqbal Lak said in response to a news item published in Dawn’s Sept 23 issue that “Dawn has reported that the election office of Dr Nisar Ahmad, a candidate from NA-81 and a relative of ex-MNA and the district president of PPP, was raided and he was harassed unduly.

“The facts are that on Sept 19, 2002, at 4:35 pm, an amount of Rs1,045,000 was forcibly robbed by two unknown dacoits, armed with Kalashnikovs, from Muhammad Afzal, a commission agent of the Sabzi Mandi, while he was putting the amount after counting it.

“On resistance, the culprits fired at two companions of Muhammad Afzal, Muhammad Sabir, son of Ronaq Ali, and other. As a result of which Sabir died on the spot. While the other person was wounded.

“The dacoits were chased who entered into Chak No 66 JB (Dhandra). The complainants did not dare to enter the village for fear of former MNA Chaudhry Ilyas.

“The main reason of Chak No 66 JB being notorious is the stay of Chaudhry Ilyas and his group in it. Chaudhry Ilyas is basically a resident of Gojra, Toba Tek Singh district, and is notorious for his crime and old enmities.

“There are more than 40 cases of murder, dacoitis, arson, and other serious offences registered against him in various police stations of the Punjab.

“He has no legitimate source of income, he patronized dacoits and other notorious criminals. He has formed a ‘qabza group’ also. As he could not participate in the elections due to being illiterate, he got the NA-81 ticket awarded to his son-in-law, Dr Nisar, from Multan, whose election campaign is being conducted by him and his group of criminals.

“There is strong apprehension of involvement of his gangsters in the dacoity due to which the raid was conducted and eight suspected persons were taken into custody.

“There was no political motive behind it. But the main objective was to trace the occurrence. Misleading news have been got published in newspapers to politicized the issue and pressurize the police to enable him to carry on his criminal activities.

“The purpose of the raid was to arrest the dacoits who were involved in the said dacoity.” — Staff Correspondent