LAHORE: Local Government elections in Punjab were nothing more than a Tamasha (spectacle) in which the ruling party carried out large-scale rigging like it did in the by-election of NA-122, said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab President Ejaz Chauhdry on Monday. Speaking to media, he went on to claim that voter lists of 19 unions councils were tempered with police acting against the PTI during the whole exercise.He also ruled out reports circulating on media regarding organisational change in the PTI following party’s dismal performance. He said party leadership stands united under Imran Khan. The PML-N secured 220 seats out of 274 offices of union councils in Lahore, independent 31 while PTI could only manage to win 13 seats.The ruling party grabbed 1192 seats while independents who are most likely to join the PML-N won 1065 in Punjab. The PTI secured only 285 seats in the local government election. At least six persons were injured in separate clashes between workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Lahore and Gujranwala.In Shafique Abad area of Lahore, party workers of PML-N allegedly attacked and opened fire on the office of PTI’s winner general councilor Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor. Several youths sustained injuries in the incident. Two persons were injured in another clash between workers of the PTI and the PML-N in the Badami Bagh area. Separately, three PML-N activists were injured in a clash with PTI workers in Union Council 29 of Gujranwala. The head of PTI policy and media Asad Umar said that the government was placing an unprecedented burden on the citizens and crushing economic activity and growth by massive increase in indirect taxation particularly on petroleum products. Reacting sharply to the announcement of increase in prices of petrol and diesel by the finance minister Asad Umar said that there is no justification for this price increase. He said in the first four months of this fiscal year the international price of oil had declined by approximately 25% while the govt had only passed on a relief of less than 4% in diesel prices which means that the benefit of more than 20% drop in oil prices had been pocketed by the govt which is gross injustice to the citizens, farmers and businesses who are already struggling in extremely challenging economic conditions. Umar said this massive increase in taxation for a basic commodity like diesel and petrol is equivalent of economic terrorism on the people of Pakistan. It is all the more deplorable being done by the govt of PML-N whose leader Mian Nawaz Sharif campaigned on the promise of reducing taxation and making Pakistan a low income tax haven like Hong Kong. He said PTI will not only oppose this increase in the media and in the National Assembly but will also demonstrate against it on the streets if the govt did not take back the increase in tax on petroleum products that it had levied since coming to power without any approval of the National Assembly.
