PTI warns against poll rigging attempts

Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to file a writ petition against alleged anomalies in voter lists of constituencies where Punjab Assembly by-elections are scheduled.

Addressing a news conference on Monday, PTI secretary general Asad Umar accused the provincial government of striving to rig the upcoming by-elections in 20 constituencies of the assembly.

He warned the bureaucrats to refrain from conniving with the rulers attempting to manipulate the by-elections. He said the Supreme Court of Pakistan had issued clear directives that Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz had not more than a caretaker role in Punjab.

The PTI leader threatened to file contempt of court petitions against civil servants over violation of the instruction.

He alleged that PML-N leader Ata Tarar was recently seen sitting in a DPO’s chair and directing civil servants who were listening to him.

He said PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz had also claimed that Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz was going to announce the biggest ever relief package for the people of Punjab but no government could match former prime minister Imran Khan’s Sehat Sahulat Health Insurance Scheme that was the biggest initiative in the history of the country with an annual budget of hundreds of billions of rupees.

He said the recent instances indicated that the provincial government was taking all possible steps to rig the by-elections.

He claimed that the situation in the 20 constituencies, including four in the provincial capital, was in favour of the PTI and only last 18 days were left of the rule of Hamza Shehbaz.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2022.