LAHORE: Election campaign for by-elections to 20 constituencies in Punjab concluded Friday with the top PMLN and PTI leadership remaining politically active in the provincial capital on the last day. The by-elections in the Punjab are scheduled for July 17. Lahore has once again become the centre of attention with polling on four Punjab Assembly seats. All these seats have fallen vacant after disqualification of PTI turncoats for voting for Hamza Shehbaz in the Chief Minister’s election. Three former MPAs, who got elected in the last general elections on PTI tickets, are contesting from the PMLN platform now while on one seat — PP-158 — PMLN stalwart and its ticket-holder in 2018 Rana Ahsan Sharafat is contesting against PTI’s Akram Usman. Abdul Aleem Khan, who was a sitting MPA from PP-158 and had voted for Hamza Shehbaz, is not contesting this time. The four seats of Lahore are PP-158, PP-167, PP-168 and PP-170. Maryam Nawaz and Imran Khan have addressed large gatherings in Lahore in support of their candidates. Although, Lahore is considered a stronghold of the PMLN, a very tough contest is expected between the Nawaz League and Tehreek-i-Insaf. The Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan has also fielded candidates who have also run a noticeable campaign.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan addressed different gatherings in Lahore on Friday. In his addresses, he said the nation would not forgive those who had imposed two families on it.
Reacting to the government decision to form a committee to determine if Article 6 can be invoked against him and his party, he said that he will reveal the secret if Article 6 is invoked against him and his party leaders.
Demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Sultan Sikandar Raja, he urged stalwarts to foil the government’s plan to rig the by-polls. He warned that 15,000 to 20,000 bogus ballot papers had been issued and claimed ‘Mr X’ had been tasked with rigging the elections. The PTI chairman stated that the turncoats had been rejected by the nation and the main task was to protect every polling station from rigging. He said that the July 17 elections were a crusade and warned the Punjab IGP and Lahore CCPO against becoming a government tool.
Imran Khan also feared that the journalist, who was detained a few days ago, had been poisoned. He also grilled Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over his alleged involvement in massive corruption. He said that the one son of the PM was an absconder while the second was under trial and four witnesses had been found dead.
Coming hard on Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, he said he was involved in the corruption of Rs16 billion. He also termed the prime minister’s act to reduce the POL prices an election stunt. He said the statement by the ECP officials that four million dead voters had become alive was enough to justify their resignations. He said that CEC Sultan Sikandar Raja had no justification to remain in office and alleged that he was acting under instructions from Maryam Nawaz. He said it was a matter of shame that fresh and transparent polls were not being held in the country.
Citing the example of 2021 Senate polls, Imran said that the son of Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani was caught bribing the voters but no action was taken against him. He instructed the party workers to protect every polling station from rigging and support the PTI candidates from Lahore — Mian Akram Usman, Shabbir Gujjar, Nawaz Awan and Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar.
