The Lahore High Court has barred the Election Commission of Pakistan from publishing the name of Major Zulfiqar Ali Gonadal (retd), a returned candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party from PP-118, Mandi Bahauddin, in the official gazette.
The court also issued notices to returned candidate and ECP for July 17 in the petition of Ahmed Khan Bhatti, a Pakistan Muslim League-Q candidate from the same constituency in June 26 by-elections. The petitioner argued that the PPP candidate, belonging to ruling party, committed massive pre-poll and post-poll rigging by using state machinery.
He said Gondal's real brother Zafar was a government official in Mandi Bahauddin district, who also used his influence. He approached the ECP and Returning Officer for the deployment of Rangers in the area, but they paid no heed to his request. He pointed out that after failing to achieve their target during polling, the respondent candidate, with the help of his brother, exerted undue pressure on the polling staff and snatched ballots bags from presiding officers and assistant presiding officers.
He alleged that the POs and APOs reported the matters to the RO in writing, who forwarded the same to district RO and the DPO registered three different FIRs. The petitioner said it was mandatory for the RO to examine rejected votes, but he instead performed mechanically.