Irate PML-N worker attempts suicide

Sakina Mengal claims that provincial leadership refused to award her a party ticket.

QUETTA:

A disgruntled Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz worker tried to set herself on fire after being refused a PML-N ticket.

Addressing a press conference at the Quetta Press Club along with other members of the party’s provincial women wing, Sakina Mengal complained that the PML-N leadership, was awarding tickets to junior members while ignoring senior members such as herself. She accused the PML-N provincial president and general secretary of issuing tickets to ladies who were ‘unfamiliar’ to workers.

“This is because of the corruption within the party,” she claimed.

Mengal alleged that she had been threatened by the provincial leadership who had also refused to give her a ticket or provide her any administrative support. But despite this ‘injustice’ Mengal vowed never to abandon the PML-N, though she also said she would not tolerate the ‘bias’ of the provincial leadership.

The press conference took a dramatic and unexpected turn when the frustrated PML-N worker doused herself with kerosene and was about to set herself on fire. But before she could do so journalists present at the scene stepped in and stopped her.

The police later arrested Mengal on charges of attempting suicide, which is a punishable offence according to section 325 of the Pakistan Penal Code. If convicted, she could face up top a year in jail.

Later in the day, Maryam Nawaz Sharif responded to the incident by tweeting: “(This) shows the importance and value of PML-N’s tickets.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2013.