‘Ineligible’ aspirant: RO faints after candidate’s attack

District and sessions judge and RO ordered to file FIR against candidate and his two guarantors.

MULTAN:

An independent candidate, Waseem Thaheem, working as a government employee, attacked a returning officer for lodging an FIR against him for contesting elections even though he was ineligible as a civil servant. The officer fainted during the attack.

Thaheem and his companions fled from his chamber after the officer passed out.

The returning officer was safely moved to his residence.

In his nomination papers, Thaheem, contesting from PP-196 and PP-195 had documented that he was a lawyer and a teacher at a private school.

However, reports indicate that he works as a union council secretary. On his campaign trail, Thaheem let down his guard and made it known that he was a government employee. His supporters were told that “government employees are more loyal.”

The local government director of Multan has suspended Thaheem, while an assistant director of local government Multan has been appointed as an inquiry officer to investigate Thaheem’s case. The officer is expected to file a report on Monday.

Additional district and sessions judge Ziaullah Niazi and also returning officer Multan of the election commission of Pakistan ordered to file an FIR in Cheliak police station under sections 420 and 467 against Thaheem and his two guarantors named Muhammad Hanif and Muhammad Riaz.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2013.