The local bodies election campaign has got a momentum in industrial city as all the streets are decorated with the colourful banners and stickers of the candidates on one side, while on the other two persons were killed and many injured in poll clashes during a week.
Police have registered various cases against more than 50 persons, including some contesting candidates for violating code of conducts.
In some latest incident, Nazir Ahmad Gill, a candidate for Niab Nazim in UC-222 and his two supporters, Tariq Masood and Muhammad Nadim, were sustained bullet wounds when unknown persons riding in a car opened fire upon him, while they were busy in election campaign. The injured persons were rushed to the Allied Hospital, where they were stated to out of danger.
In Nishatabad area, a contesting councillor, Zakir Hussain, was injured during indiscriminate firing of rival candidate Fiyyaz Shah and his companions.
Police have registered a case and arrested one of them and investigation is in progress.
Jhang Bazar Police have registered a case against about one dozen persons for violating code of conduct and aerial firing for reception of his candidate in local body poll.
Meanwhile, DCO Athar Hussain Khan Sial and DPO Captain Muhammad Amin Waince (Retd) have directed all the election candidates to remove their wall-chalking, banners, etc within 24 hours voluntarily as the election code of ethics did not permit these acts.
This warning was issued by them while addressing a meeting in TMA Hall, which was attended besides the candidates by DDOs (Revenue), SDPOs, TMOs and SHOs of the district and others concerned.
They warned that after the passage of this period of wall-chalkings were not removed; besides their removal action would also be taken against such candidates. They advised the candidates to ensure complete adherence to the code of ethics, otherwise strict action would be taken against the defaulters.
The DCO directed the candidates to strictly abide by the restrictions imposed by the Election Commission and follow the code of ethics in its true spirit so that the administration did not find itself constrained to take any sort of action against them.
He said" "Under the code of ethics the candidates were allowed to hold corner meetings. However, the use of loud-speaker was strictly prohibited and only the use of mega phone was allowed. No candidate would be allowed to hold meeting on the road or a Chowk, etc, to use crackers and indulge in aerial firing, etc."
The DCO also said no corner meeting would be allowed at a place where any other candidate was already holding a corner meeting, adding that no candidate or his supporter would call an opponent or his supporter a "Kafir" or "traitor".
Similarly, he said that delivering speeches fanning sectarianism, religious or racial differences, making falls propaganda against an opponent and spreading fabricated rumours aimed at denting the repute of an opponent or his supporter was strictly prohibited.
He said that candidates or their supporters would not be allowed to take out processions comprising buses, trucks, motorcycles, vehicle, etc; or any other form of procession, adding no election camps would be set up on a road or passage, etc and no corner meetings or speeches, etc would be allowed at religious places such as mosques, Imambarghas, churches, and temples.
He said that corner meetings could be held within boundary walls or some vacant plot, etc by erecting tents but use of loud-speaker in such meetings would be strictly prohibited. Later the DCO and DPO answered the queries raised by the candidates.
Among others, the meeting was also attended by EDO Revenue Muhammad Ali Bloch, SP City Abdul Saeed Naveed, DO Revenue Asif Qureshi, DO Co-ordination Malik Muhammad Aslam, and Senior Administrative Officer Liaquat Chatha.
Comments
Comments are closed.