Gandapur lashes out at police, asks IG K-P to hold inquiry into rigging allegations

K-P minister was accused of barging into a polling station during the provincial LG polls on May 31

ISLAMABAD: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) Minister for Revenue Ali Amin Gandapur dismissed on Sunday allegations of poll rigging and demanded the provincial police IG to hold an independent inquiry into the matter.

Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's central secretariat in Islamabad on Sunday, Gandapur called out some police officials over their "highhandedness".

“…if this [registration of false case] can happen with a sitting minister then what would be the treatment of Police with common man,” he said.

The minister is accused of barging into a polling station with his guards, manhandling staff and policemen and forcibly taking away ballot boxes during the May 31 local government elections.

The Cantonment SHO had registered an FIR against Gandapur for manhandling police personnel, which he strongly denied.

“Being a sitting minister, I had asked the SHO to reach the polling station where the law and order situation was getting out of control,” he said.

Read: Gandapur visited DI Khan polling station to prevent rigging: Imran

“Registration of a case against a sitting minister reflects the police’s independence but there are some who are working at other parties’ behest,” he said, adding that he had evidence to prove his innocence.

He added that the ballot boxes he was accused of stealing were in possession of the RO and he had only visited the polling station to prevent rigging.

In reply to a question, he said the SHO had refused to register his FIR against those who tried to allegedly kill him and would approach the court if a case is not registered in the next two days.

He said a mob had attacked his car and fired straight bullets. “My car was bullet proof otherwise they would’ve killed me.”

The minister reiterated his earlier stance that workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) were stuffing ballot boxes with fake votes, and he went to the polling station to prevent electoral fraud.

Negating all the allegations against him, Gandapur who hails from DI Khan, a stronghold of JUI-F, gave an open challenge to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Read: Election misconduct: PPP vows to take up Gandapur’s actions with ECP

“Maulana Fazl lost elections at his home constituency. Let’s have an election in DI Khan under the supervision of army and JUI-F would once again be defeated.”

Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Naeemul Haq said PTI chairman Imran Khan assigned the party’s provincial chief to submit a report over the riggin issue within 15 days.