CB polls: Three arrested for printing fake votes in Nowshera

NOWSHERA: The police arrested three accused for allegedly printing fake votes for the Cantonment Board election on Sunday.

District Police Officer Muhammad Iqbal Khan said that police raided a computer composing shop situated at a commercial plaza after they received information about printing of forge votes to be used in cantonment board election.

He said the police seized computers, printer, other material and fake votes and arrested computer operator Javed Ali. During preliminary investigation, the DPO said that the accused divulged the names of Jan Mast, who is affiliated to the former tehsil nazim Ahad Khattak group, ex-village nazims Arshad Khan, Ihsan Ali, Niamat, Mian Wajahat Kakakhel of Awami National Party and others.

He said the police took prompt action and arrested Jan Mast, Mian Wajahat Kakakhel and Javed Ali. He said they had also recovered 142 fake votes from two polling stations. He said the police also raided the house of one Fayyaz Muhammad twice, who had harboured one accused Arshad at his residence and later helped in his escape.

The police kept siege to the residence of the candidate for several hours but they could not recover anything during the raids. Meanwhile, workers and supporters of various political parties staged protest against the raids on the house of Fayyaz Muhammad, an independent candidate from Ward-1, Nowshera Cantt.

The protesters and Pakistan Muslim-Nawaz lawmaker Ikhtiar Wali Khan and former MNA Siraj Muhammad Khan alleged that Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak was using government resources and police to harass opponents. They said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government resorted to adopting illegal means when it cannot win elections through ballots.