PPP candidate sails through NA-184 bypolls

BAHAWALPUR: PPP candidate Khadeeja Aamir Warren has won the NA-184 by-polls after defeating PML-N candidate Mian Najeeb-ud-Din Owaisi by a margin of around 27,000 votes.

According to unofficial results, Khadeeja had secured around 75,000 votes and Owaisi 48,000 votes while results from a few polling stations were still to come.

The Hatheji village that has seen sectarian clashes in the past proved a troubled spot on Saturday too.

The police and Rangers had to launch a baton charge to disperse a protesting mob outside Polling Station No. 67 set up at the local high school after a scuffle erupted between the PPP and PML-N workers.

The minister of state for interior, Tasneem Ahmad Qureshi, said the trouble began when a former nazim, Saeed Ahmed, allegedly misbehaved with a woman voter at the polling booth. This irked the PPP workers who started chanting slogans against the PML-N and the ensuing scuffle led to the disruption of polling.

DCO Dr. Naeem Rauf and DPO Babar Bakht Qureshi rushed to the spot to restore the law and order. Though polling resumed after an hour or so, tension prevailed there till the end of the polling.

Qureshi told Dawn that the situation deteriorated due to “poor performance of the Punjab police”. He said the federal government did not want to interfere and he himself asked the DPO to handle the situation.

On the other hand, PML-N leader Syed Ali Gilani said the PPP wanted to hijack the by-elections.

Rao Javed Iqbal, a candidate, alleged that he was also attacked by two men of his rival candidate at the same polling station.

He said that he wanted examining a woman’s computerized national identity card on which Latif Ghalloo and Rafiq Ghalloo hurled bricks at him. Though Iqbal remained unhurt, his bodyguard Arshad was hit in the head. He was taken to a nearby health facility and a case was lodged with the Hatheji police station.

Overall polling process remained peaceful. However, skirmishes arising out of polling-related disputes were reported from Ismailpur, Kote Dadu Ghalloo, Patti Kuliar and Malkani Basti polling stations.