ISLAMABAD/NOWSHERA: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz — a component of the 10-party PDM — was leading in the by-election held in two constituencies each of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday, with violence marring the electoral exercise in NA-75, Sialkot-IV Daska, leading to death of two workers and injuries to eight others.
Although, the results were not officially declared by the Election Commission, PML-N workers began celebrating. PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz thanked Allah and shared what she claimed was the "complete result" obtained "despite massive, blatant rigging". All the four seats had fallen vacant due to the death of lawmakers.
The PML-N was leading in two constituencies of Punjab and one constituency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These four constituencies are NA-75, Sialkot-IV Daska, PP-51 Gujranwala I, NA-45 Kurram I, and PK-63 Nowshera III.
According to preliminary results obtained from 213 polling stations, PML-N candidate Nosheen Iftikhar was in the lead with 61,571 votes in NA-75 Sialkot, while the PTI candidate Ali Asjad Khan had obtained 55,872 votes.
The seat had fallen vacant after the death of PML-N MNA Syed Iftikhar-ud-Din in August 2020. According to unofficial results, the PML-N also won PP-51 Wazirabad by-election.
PML-N’s Begum Talat Shaukat bagged 53,903 votes, while PTI’s Chaudhry Yousuf stood runner-up with 48,484 votes. Wazirabad’s PP-51 fell vacant after PML-N MPA Shaukat Manzoor Cheema died on June 3, 2020. During the 2018 elections, he had won the seat with 59,267 votes. Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) candidate Ikhtiar Wali Khan won the PK-63 Nowshera by-election as per unofficial results.
Ikhtiar Wali Khan belongs to PML-N. He was backed by all the component parties of the PDM except the Awami National Party (ANP), which fielded its own candidate who fared poorly. The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islami (JUI-F) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) having a sizeable vote-bank in the constituency, had campaigned vigorously for Ikhtiar Wali, who was the runner-up in the July 2018 general election. It was his first victory after several failed attempts.
The seat fell vacant after the death of PTI MPA Mian Jamsheduddin Kakakhel due to Covid-19. The PTI awarded ticket to Mian Mohammad Umar Kakakhel, son of the deceased lawmaker, to contest the by-election. His defeat was a setback to the PTI and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, who had campaigned personally for him.
There are reports that Liaquat Khattak, who is provincial minister for irrigation, had developed differences with his brother Pervez Khattak over the choice of candidate. According to unofficial results, Ikhtiar Wali, who is also the KP chapter spokesman for the PML-N, bagged 21,222 votes followed by PTI’s Mian Mohammad Umar Kakakhel with 17,023 votes.
Mian Wajahatullah Kakakhel, the candidate of the ANP, received 4,279 votes only. The Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) candidate Allama Sanaullah Saifi polled 619 votes. The PK-63 Nowshera constituency has 141,943 registered voters. About 102 polling stations had been established for the by-election of which 35 were declared sensitive and 139 the most sensitive.
According to unofficial results received from 113 polling stations of NA-45 Kurram, PTI candidate Malik Fakhar Zaman was leading with 11,430 votes while independent candidate Syed Jamal was trailing with 10,360 votes. JUI-F’s candidate Malik Jamil Khan was at the third position with 6,311 votes.
In NA-75, Sialkot-IV Daska, two persons died and eight others were injured in clashes between the PTI and PML-N workers at a polling station.
The firing occurred at the Gondka polling station injuring three persons initially, with two succumbing to their injuries on way to the hospital.
According to police, deceased Zeeshan was a PML-N sympathizer, while deceased Sajid was a PTI supporter. Taking notice of the incident, District Police Officer Asad Alvi constituted special police teams for an early arrest of the accused.
A heavy contingent of police and Rangers reached the polling station to restore order. The PTI and PML-N workers assembled outside the polling station, shouting slogans against one another.
Out of 360 polling stations in the constituency, the voting process was suspended at 15 sensitive polling stations when violence took place.
Two groups of workers armed with sticks could be seen in a video clip exchanging blows in Daska that went viral on the social media.
Police failed to identify or arrest the suspects who committed the killings till the filing of news in the evening.
The atmosphere outside the polling station remained tense. PML-N leader Azma Bokhari blamed former special assistant to the prime minister on youth affairs Usman Dar, terming him the "mastermind" of the incident. She urged the Punjab government to arrest Usman Dar.
Bokhari was holding a press conference after the incident where she alleged that Dar had brought volunteers of the Tiger Force with him and indulged in hooliganism. "According to sources, PML-N's thug Javed Butt murdered PTI worker Majid by firing at him and severely injured Sajid," tweeted Dr Shahbaz Gill.
"The PML-N is full of goons such as Gullu Butt and Javed Butt. These are criminals, politics is just a cover-up. Every drop of blood will be accounted for," he added.
Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan held a news conference in which she blamed that the PML-N "goons" entered the polling stations forcibly and harassed the PTI workers.
Awan lashed out at the ECP, saying it seemed as if the Commission "had its eyes closed" today.
"Those officers [of the ECP] who operated outside of the law today, we have our eyes on them," she warned.
Awan held PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah responsible for the clash, saying the PML-N was resorting to its "traditional thuggery" under Sanaullah's supervision.
She alleged that the PTI workers were being harassed at the polling station by "private gunmen", calling on police to take action against the culprits.
Reacting to the violence, Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said the bid to spoil the electoral atmosphere was reprehensible in all respects.
He directed immediate arrest of the accused and maintaining law and order during counting at the polling stations.
He also directed the Gujranwala administration to take special measures to control the situation.
On the other hand, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz lashed out at the authorities and tweeted a video of the party's supporters breaking doors of a polling station down after they were allegedly made to wait outside for hours.
"PML-N voters in Daska lose patience, protest & break down doors of a polling station after being made to wait for hours as polling time draws to an end. Sharam kero," she tweeted.
Maryam sought to sound the alarm on, what she claimed was, theft of votes by the PTI members, as counting in the by-polls continued.
Maryam released a series of "bombshell" videos as supposed proof of the claim.
In the first, she begins by claiming that PTI people were caught "red handed stealing bagfuls of votes".
She said PML-N MPA Adil Chatha and Ata Tarar were the ones to have caught the "culprit".
Maryam claimed the seal of the bag of votes was also broken and further accused the police of being "a part of the plan to steal votes for PTI".
Maryam also shared a video of a man sitting silently alongside a bag of votes. PML-N workers can be heard asking him where he was taking the bag of votes.
"We had sent him in along with the Rangers and he was taking this bag with him," a man says.
The man in a subsequent video is identified as a presiding officer and accused of stuffing the said bag with fake votes.
As her updates continued to roll in, Maryam shared another video of PML-N catching the presiding officer, reportedly belonging to Virtual University Polling Station Wazirabad, who she claimed was "running away with a polling bag, the seal of which was broken".
"He has been brought before the District Returning Officer," she said. Maryam said PML-N representatives were keeping watch over the guy "caught red handed" and "are not letting him go".
"Aise nahi chorrein ge. 2018 main ho gaya, ho gaya. Ab nahi Insha'Allah. (We won't let this go as easily. Whatever happened in 2018, happened. Not anymore, God willing)," she wrote.
Earlier, she had urged PML-N supporters who had "bravely" cast their votes, especially in Daska, Wazirabad and Nowshera, amid violence, to now "guard their votes", as counting of ballot papers begins.
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb lashed out at the PTI, blaming the party for resorting to violence in the face of imminent defeat. Later, holding a press conference, Aurangzeb said both the PTI and the PML-N workers had martyred in the incident.
"Two people are dead and four persons are severely injured," she said, blaming the provincial government and the administration for being in league with the culprits who opened the firing. "Where is the chief minister of Punjab? He says an FIR will be registered. You should be booked in the FIR," she lashed out. "This provincial government can't hold one by-election."
She continued her tirade against the chief minister, saying he had failed to hold a by-election in Daska. "You have made the administration your personal servants," said Aurangzeb. Marriyum showed a video of PTI workers allegedly firing in front of police officers.
"This firing was done in front of police officials," she shouted, holding up her cellphone for the reporters to see. Speaking to Geo News, PTI leader Usman Dar questioned Sanaullah's presence in the constituency, saying it was a clear violation of the ECP's code of conduct.
"We will register an FIR against Rana Sanaullah. He brought armed men with him and resorted to firing," he accused. "If these people think NA-75 is their stronghold, why are PML-N MPAs and Maryam Safdar holding jalsas in the area?" he questioned.
Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took notice of the incident and directed the IGP to send him a report on the matter. Buzdar ordered that the culprits responsible for the firing be brought to book.
"Violation of the law will not be tolerated at any cost. Action should be taken against the persons regardless of their political affiliation." Taking notice of the incident, the Election Commission of Pakistan directed the IGP Punjab to take immediate action against all those involved in the unpleasant incident.
According to the Election Commission, the top provincial police officer had also been directed to send a comprehensive report on the incident to the Election Commission Secretariat before February 22 so that further action could be taken on this count. The Chief Election Commissioner has already summoned a meeting of the Commission on February 23 in this connection.
