Election scheme: Case registered against candidates for assaulting RO

FAISALABAD:

Civil Line police have registered a case against more than a dozen people accused of hurling threats at a returning officer, for impeding official work and taking the law into their hands.

The suspects include Haji Muhammad Ali Makhdoom, a candidate for UC 55 chairman, Tariq Majeed, a candidate for vice chairman and Liaquat Ali, a general councillor candidate from Ward 5.

The case has been registered on the complaint of Returning Officer (RO) Shaukat Hayat.

In the FIR, Hayat said Makhdoom, Majeed, Ali and some other people had come to his office and asked him to change the polling scheme.

“I summoned the assistant returning officer and sought details regarding their request. The district election commissioner was also present at my office.”

Hayat said that the candidates were informed that it was too late to change the scheme. He said that they had then held him up, manhandled him and also threatened him with dire consequences.

Civil Lines police have registered the FIR against them under Sections 353 (deterring public servant from discharging duty), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Police said they were looking for the miscreants.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2015.