Intra-party polls: Violence breaks out in PTI elections, one injured

Polling called off without any result following the clash between four groups.

KHAR:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) intra-party elections turned violent in Bajaur Agency when four groups clashed against each other over vote casting in Khar, headquarters of the agency, on Sunday.

The ballot boxes were placed in Khar Stadium and polling began at 9am for the candidates namely, Dr Khalil, Mamber, Gulzafar and Jalaluddin.

Supporters of each candidate formed separate groups and three of groups formed an alliance. Trouble began at around 11am when a voter from Dr Khalil’s group tried to vote for Gulzafar and a brawl broke out.

PTI activists started thrashing each other resulting in senior party activist, Naik Rehman, getting critically injured. He was rushed to Khar Headquarters Hospital while polling was postponed without a result.



Jalaluddin told journalists that he blamed Gulzafar and his group for sabotaging the peaceful elections. The formation of an alliance infuriated Gulzafar and he spoiled the event, he added.

Jalal said his group had left the decision to the PTI provincial election commissioner Qazi Anwar Advocate. “We will contest elections according to his (Qazi’s) decision.” Jalal also hinted that holding intra-party polls in Khar would be impossible and the venue should be shifted to Peshawar.

Despite PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s instructions to party activists to stay calm and desist from resorting to violence, a number of incidents have been reported during the party’s internal elections in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Activists in Dir have also blamed their opponents of foul play.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2013.