ISLAMABAD: In a bid to stop the alleged rigging in Punjab by-polls on July 17, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed a petition on Wednesday with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), requesting it to immediately stop “pre-poll rigging” by the ruling coalition in the province.

In its petition filed with the ECP, the PTI made the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), party to the case, saying it is involved in pre-poll rigging, which the ECP must stop.

The PTI leaders including Central Additional Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan, Riaz Fatyana, and others, who filed the petition with the ECP, said that detailed documentary evidence has been submitted to the top electoral watchdog.

Talking to reporters after filing the petition, Omar said: “We have submitted evidence with reference to PP-140 Sheikhupura as the number of voters in the constituency has increased from 2,000 to 5,572”.

“This is a form of pre-poll rigging…it is crucial to prevent ministers from visiting the constituencies to exert influence and use state machinery”, he added.

“Today, we have filed the petition by exercising our right, and we have done so pre-emptively so that nobody would be able to say that we had no objections before the election results,” he maintained.

He said that the PML-N had “lost its mind” over the 20 seats that are up for grabs in the Punjab by-polls.

“Federal and provincial ministers are resigning left, right, and centre. But no matter what tactics they use, [the] PTI will succeed”, he added.

Omar said that postings and transfers were being made relentlessly, and development works were being announced.

“These are old tactics and the imported government would not win by doing these but they are unsuccessfully trying to influence the public”, he added.

He alleged that the Jhang DPO was also trying to exert influence, while the Rajanpur deputy commissioner was also campaigning openly. While addressing a crowd in Sheikhupura last week, the PTI chief had stated that the commission was biased in favour of Hamza, the current Punjab chief minister and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader.

In a statement, the ECP had said that by issuing fatwas of treason, an institution cannot be declared a traitor – a dig at the PTI’s rhetoric against the opposing parties and those who deserted their party.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022