Poll contestant booked for threatening rival

The Rawalpindi police have registered a case against former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member of the provincial assembly and independent contestant in the 2024 elections, Ejaz Khan Jazi, on the complaint of a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate for allegedly issuing death threats to the latter.

The Pirwadhai police station registered an FIR against the PTI-backed contestant under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and other relevant provisions on a formal complaint filed by PML-N’s Ziaullah Shah.

The complainant alleges that he was forwarded an audio message on social media in which threatening words can be heard in a voice he claims belongs to competing candidate, Jazi.

The words quoted by the complainant in the FIR say, “Save yourself. You can only take part in the elections if you remain alive. It’s the person who stands in the lane who gets a bullet to his head. Isn’t your time up? You are done… You should take caution day and night as you campaign..."

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Shah further stated in the report that Jazi, who is also contesting the PP-16 seat as he is, had badly insulted him, threatened to kill him and incited fear and panic among the people, thereby causing harm to the election spirit. He demanded that legal action be taken against the accused.

Following the receipt of the complaint, the police initiated an investigation against Jazi and registered a case under Section 506-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), in addition to Section 25-D of the Telegraph Act and Section 7 of the ATA.

The Express Tribune attempted to get in touch with Jazi, the PP-16 independent candidate, to inquire about his viewpoint but he could not be reached.

Pirwadhai SHO Tayyab Baig communicated that the police have been provided with the recording of the viral audio message, along with the complaint, which has been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency for forensic analysis. The investigation will proceed further once the forensic report is received, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2024.