ECP asked not to appoint ‘brutal, inhuman’ officials in Punjab

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Thursday submitted a list of officials to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and appealed to not post them in Punjab caretaker setup due to their “brutal and inhuman” behaviour towards the party.

Senior lawyer Faisal Fareed, in his petition, filed at the ECP office, stated that the officials involved in professional dishonesty and acts of victimisation against the PTI should not be posted in Punjab.

The list of the officials with a biased attitude towards the PTI includes the names of CCPO Lahore Bilal Siddique Kamiyana, former DIG Operations Lahore Capt (retd) Suhail Chaudhry, Capt (retd) Usman Anwar, former SP Civil Lines Lahore Raza Safdar Kazmi, Rao Sardar Ali Khan, Dr Abid Khan, Hafiz Attaur Rehman, Babar Sarfaraz Alpa, Suhail Zafar Chattha, Rana Ayaz Salim and Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi.

Amongst the officials of administrative services (PAS/PMS), the list includes the names of Nabeel Awan, former commissioner Lahore Capt (retd) Usman, Umer Sher Chattha, Sumair Syed, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, Ajmal Bhatti, Ahmad Raz Sarwar, Amir Karim Khan, Dr Rashid Mansoor, Amir Khattak and Syed Ali Murtaza.

Faisal Farid submitted that the above mentioned officials are loyal to the political opponents of the applicant and it is not mere apprehension but these officials are hell bent to influence voters and sympathisers of the applicant party by causing harassment and fear through intimidation.

These officers were found involved in “brutal and inhuman” actions against workers of the applicant party on May 25, 2022, he submitted. “The commission is requested to issue necessary directions to ensure the conduct of the elections in Punjab strictly in accordance with law and constitution,” he submitted.