Daska by-poll rigging: Sanaullah demands arrest of mysterious farm house owner

20 presiding officers were taken hostage at the farm house during NA-75 by-election, says PML-N leader

LAHORE:

Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah on Saturday demanded of the authorities concerned to take action against the mysterious farm house owner in Sialkot’s Daska town, where 20 presiding officers he claimed were held hostage during the controversial by-election in February.

He was speaking to the media outside court premises in Lahore, where he appeared for a hearing in the drugs case filed against him by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF).

Without disclosing name of the farmhouse owner, Sanaullah said PTI leaders including Usman Dar, Firdous Ashiq Awan and others were also present at the premises where presiding officers were allegedly held hostage.

“Those people who stole Daska election have been alleging rigging,” he added.

The PML-N leader said the recent apex court decision regarding re-polling in Daska proved to be the last nail in the coffin of the PTI government.

Also read: ECP's Daska re-poll decision upheld

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the ruling PTI’s appeal against the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan for re-polling in NA-75 Sialkot-IV (Daska) and upheld the polling body's decision.

The ECP had earlier annulled the by-poll held in the constituency on February 19 and ordered a fresh election on March 18. It was later rescheduled to take place on April 10.

Speaking about the opposition alliance — Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — Sanaullah said some PPP leaders had clearly opposed the party leadership’s decision to elect Yousuf Raza Gilani as the opposition leader with the support of government-backed lawmakers in the Senate.

On transfer of the judge hearing his drugs case, the PML-N’s Punjab chapter president claimed that Intelligence Bureau (IB) is appeared to have acted at the whims of PTI-led government.

“No judge wanted to do their work in such special courts not only the judges but also their family members children are being monitored,” he said.