WATCH: 'Votes on sale' on eve of crucial Punjab by-polls

Police nab suspects from PP-168 and PP-167 identified as alleged members of PTI and PML-N respectively

Votes were allegedly being sold for money in PP-168 and PP-167 constituencies on Saturday, a day before the crucial by-elections on 20 constituencies of Punjab Assembly, Express News reported.

According to details, police nabbed a person from PP-168 allegedly with hundreds of CNICs in his possession. In a video that has gone viral on social media, the person identified himself as Khalid Hussain claiming to be a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Punjab byelections situation pic.twitter.com/vP92oWX63g

— Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) July 16, 2022

Khalid said that he made a "deal" with some people that he would give them Rs2,000 to Rs3,000 for their vote.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif was quick to highlight the incident on her official Twitter handle, saying that “rigging is in the DNA of PTI”. When they could not steal the ballot boxes and ECP staff, they resorted to a new method of rigging, she maintained.

دھاندلی PTI کے DNA میں شامل ہے۔اب تھیلے اور ECP کا عملہ چُرا کر نہیں بھاگ سکتے تو دھاندلی کا دوسرا طریقہ نکال لائے۔یہ جانتے ہیں کہ دھاندلی کیے بغیر یہ نا پہلے الیکشن جیتے تھے نا انشاءاللّہ اب جیت سکتے ہیں۔یہ سیلیکشن نہیں،الیکشن ہو رہاہے! مسٹر XYZ آخر میں دھاندلی خان خود نکلے گا! pic.twitter.com/xr8CKhBsUQ

— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) July 16, 2022

Maryam said that PTI knew that it had never won without rigging and was resorting to similar tactics. "This is no selection but election... Mr XYZ will turn out to be Imran Khan himself in the end," she further said.

Former federal minister and PTI leader Hammad Azhar, responding to Maryam's tweet, said that the man in the video was forced to give statement to the police after torture.

اس لڑکے پر پولیس نے تشدد کر کے یہ بیان زبردستی لیا ہے۔ تحریک انصاف کو دو سو ووٹ خریدنے کی بلکل ضرورت نہیں۔ البتہ جو منڈیاں اسد کھوکر اور علیم خان نے اس الیکشن میں لگائیں ہیں وہ سارے لاہور کو معلوم ہے۔۔اور آپ کو بھی۔ اس کے باوجود کل عوام بیرونی سازش اور لوٹوں کو شکست دے گی۔ https://t.co/W3Q5E27QuC

— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) July 16, 2022

"PTI does not need 200 votes but entire Lahore and you know about the 'markets' organised by Asad Khokhar and Aleem Khan for the elections.

Also read: Campaigning ends as Imran, Maryam enter home stretch of Punjab by-polls

Hammad further said that the masses would defeat the ‘foreign conspiracy’ by voting for PTI.

PTI leader Farrukh Habib later denied the allegations that he had instructed the accused, Khalid Hussain to collect the CNICs of the voters in the PP-168 and PP-167 constituencies.

In a video statement on his official Twitter handle, the former state minister while referring to a viral video purportedly showing his WhatsApp conversation with the accused said PML-N concocted the scandal to malign him and his party ahead of by-polls in Punjab.

pic.twitter.com/4UQBboe66v

— Mohsin Abbasi (@abbasi_ajk) July 16, 2022

“There is no truth to this drama… I met this person once during an [election] campaign that too in the last week of June. I did not issue any instruction or advice to this person…,” he added.

ن لیگ کا جھوٹا پراپیگنڈا عیاں ہوگیا ہے عوام عمران خان کیساتھ ہے
ووٹر کو ہراساں کرنا، ووٹ خریداری ن لیگ کر رہی ہے۔ چیلینج ہے کوئی ایسا what’s app message دکھا دے جس پر میں نے کسی کو ووٹ یا ID card لینے کی ہدایت دی ہو۔ ورنہ معافی مانگو pic.twitter.com/3a1e3gbkC2

— Farrukh Habib (@FarrukhHabibISF) July 16, 2022

Meanwhile, PML-N candidate in PP-167 Nazir Chauhan has allegedly been caught in a video giving money to voters. The authenticity of the social media video is yet to be ascertained.

Nazir Chauhan's video of buying votes has surfaced@ECP_Pakistanpic.twitter.com/m9XktGNPgS

— Samiah Rashid (@Samiah_Rashid) July 16, 2022

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken notice of the suspect detained by police from PP-168. It has sought report from the District Monitoring Officer over the incident.

Details of the legal action against the detained person have also been sought.

All the necessary arrangements for holding by-elections in 20 provincial assembly constituencies, including the printing of ballot papers have been wrapped up.

It may be mentioned here that on Thursday the ECP had sought the army’s deployment in five of the 20 constituencies — four in Lahore and one in Multan.

Also read: Govt forms committee to probe treason proceedings against PTI leaders

In a letter written to the Punjab chief secretary and the police chief, the ECP said it had come to its notice that armed personnel were present in different constituencies, including Lahore, which was likely to influence and jeopardise the conduct of the upcoming by-elections, besides being a precursor to violence. The watchdog declared several constituencies as ‘sensitive’.

The ECP issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for polling staff to conduct the by-polls on Punjab assembly constituencies scheduled for July 17.

The presiding officers (POs) have been directed to enable the location service feature of their smartphones. The PO should take a picture of form 45 and WhatsApp it to the RO in presence of polling agents.

The ECP, in a statement, has also said that adequate security arrangements have been made at the polling stations with police, Rangers and Army personnel deployed there. Deputy commissioners of police and officials of Rangers and Army will be present in the control rooms.

The location feature should stay active even while taking the picture of Form 45, the ECP statement reads. Polling agents have been ordered to be present when the picture is being taken. In case of a network connection failure, the PO has been told to immediately reach the ROs’ office.

The POs have been instructed to submit the polling record, including Form 45, on time. The RO, meanwhile, was tasked with making all the forensic details part of the record.

The ECP has further asked the candidates to ensure training of their polling agents and instruct them not to leave the polling station without receiving the presiding officer’s verified form 45.

Every presiding officer was bound to provide a signed copy of form 45 to the relevant polling agent in the polling station.

The July 17 by-elections will be held in PP-7, PP-83, PP-90, PP-97, PP-125, PP-127, PP-140, PP-158, PP-167, PP-168, PP-170, PP-202, PP-217, PP-224, PP-228, PP-237, PP-272, PP-273, PP-282 Layyah and PP-288 constituencies.

Currently, the PTI needs to win around 14 seats to regain the coveted office from PML-N, while losing any more than six seats would mean banking on independents to switch sides which, given the existing circumstances, seems an unlikely probability. For both sides, clawing back to the post would also ensure their fresh mandates in the next general elections.