Protest enters third day: Losing candidates demand re-election in Landikotal tehsil

LANDIKOTAL: The protest of the losing candidates in the recently held local government election on Wednesday entered its third day. They have been demanding the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to order re-election for the chairman’s slot in Landikotal tehsil.

The protesters blocked the main road for hours at Charwaqay Chowk here.

Hundreds of workers of political parties and independent candidates staged the protest on the main Peshawar-Torkham road. Chanting slogans, they demanded the ECP to order re-polling in Landikotal tehsil.

Speaking on the occasion, PTI’s Shahid Ali Shinwari, ANP’s Shah Hussain, Murad Hussain Afridi of Jamaat-e-Islami, Shakir Afridi, Kalimullah Shinwari, Syed Alam Shalmani and Ziaul Haq Afridi said the protest would be continue until re-polling was conducted.

They alleged the election staff was either bribed or forced to favour the candidate backed by a resourceful former parliamentarian. They said the election was stolen and they had proof of rigging.

The speakers showed a number of stamped ballot papers to the media and general public. They said how it could be missed from the election staff.

“We would have accepted if a minor irregularity had happened in the LG polls but all the polling stations in Landikotal were bribed. We will not accept this,” Shah Hussain alleged.

He said the election staff was deployed on the demand of a former MNA and senator, who allegedly bribed the election commission’s staff. The ANP leader said an application had been submitted to the ECP to order re-election.

He said a large number of women could not cast their votes in Landikotal due to mismanagement.

Shakir Afridi said they would stage a protest in Islamabad and outside the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar if the ECP did not announce re-election.

DRUG SEIZED: The police have seized a huge quantity of narcotics during a crackdown across the district.

“We seized charas from a vehicle and arrested the peddler,” Sajjad Khan, the district police officer, told reporters here on Wednesday.

The DPO said that the crackdown against the narcotics peddlers was underway in the district during which ice, charas, heroin and other contrabands were largely seized.