Gurumangat Road: Candidate accuses rival of sabotaging campaign

PML-N’s candidate Arshad Ahmed Khan denies allegations

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) are set to lock horns in the forthcoming local government elections in Union Council-202, the commercial hub of Gulberg III.

With the PTI’s candidate for the chairmanship of the UC pinning his hopes on the services he rendered as the erstwhile nazim of the area, the PML-N’s candidate has been claiming that his familial ties with the ruling party will muster ample support for him in the polls.

The underdeveloped areas of the locality constitute the primary electoral backgrounds. Damaged roads, poor drainage and sewerage facilities make areas such as Ittehad Colony and the residential section of Gurumangat Road particularly susceptible to problems in the wet season.

PML-N candidate Arshad Ahmed Khan, who owns a concrete factory, says his family has had an enduring association with politics. “My father and uncle have previously won local government elections,” he said. Khan said he also has strong familial ties with the PML-N’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Calling himself a staunch supporter of the PML-N, he said the party’s agenda was premised on development. “Our competition is with the PTI. We will give them a tough time,” Khan said.

PTI candidate Abdul Samad Ghani, a caterer, was elected nazim in 2001. He has pledged to ensure the provision of clean drinking water and revamp the area’s sewerage system after being elected. Ghani told The Express Tribune that the importance of political affiliations waned in comparison to that of individual personalities with regard to local government elections.

Ghani says while he might have previously served as the area’s nazim, this had not been enough to prevent him and his deputy from being continuously harassed by his rival. He said police had not been able to put an end to it. Denying his allegations, Khan accused him of seeking cheap publicity ahead of the polls. “I cannot comment on his claims,” he said, adding that such practices befitted lowly hoodlums and not someone of his ilk.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2015.