Sitara colony: ‘Don’t hold polling at N-supporter’s school’
RO Muhammad Waris says a decision in this regard will be made by Tuesday. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) candidate for chairman in Union Council no231 (Pak Colony) has sought transfer of a polling station from a Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) partner school in the area, saying that the school principal is campaigning for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate, Javed Iqbal.
The UC includes Sitara Colony, Gulshan Colony, Pak Town, Muhammad Ali Colony, Mayo Colony, Imran Colony, Fazal Khan Colony and Pind Bandian Wala areas. It has around 14,000 registered voters.
PTI’s Haji Babar Awan has also accused Muhammad Naeem, principal at Yaseen Model School, of threatening parents of children enrolled in the school with expulsion of their children if they don’t vote for the PML-N candidate.
In his application addressed to the returning officer, Muhammad Waris, Awan has requested that the school be excluded from the list of places shortlisted for establishment of polling stations in the constituency.
RO Muhammad Waris says a decision in this regard will be made by Tuesday.
Muhammad Naeem, the school principal, denies that he is campaigning for the PML-N. He also dismisses as baseless the suggestion that he has a threatened anyone. He says he is a supporter of the PML-N but he has not solicited votes for its candidate. A tough competition is expected between the PML-N and the PTI contenders. Jameel Ahmed Rehmani is Iqbal’s partner on the PML-N ticket and Haji Malik Rehmat Ali Babar Awan’s partner on the PTI ticket.
Babar Awan was elected nazim from the area in 2001 and 2005.
Speaking about their programmes for the UC, both contestants mention repair of sewerage and sanitation infrastructure, upgrade of education institutions and healthcare facilities and allocation of land for establishment of playgrounds and graveyards.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2015.