Daska By-Polls Become Hotspot of National Politics

Daska became a centre point of politics this year after violence and alleged election rigging during the NA-75 by-poll on Friday. Pakistan Muslim League (N) re-election in the entire National Assembly constituency while Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) claimed the victory and said that people of Daska had rejected PML-N.

As a result of the violence two workers died, one belonging to PML-N and the other from PTI.

The main leadership of both the parties visited Daska on Sunday. PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz along with a contingent of party leaders, including Rana Sanaullah, Marriyum Aurangzaib and Attaullah Tarrar, visited the family of party worker Zeeshan Butt who was killed during a violent clash at a polling station.

Similarly, PTI team comprising federal ministers Senator Shibli Faraz, Fawad Chaudhary, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Usman Dar and Special Assistant to the Chief Minister (of Punjab) Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan visited the residence of PTI worker Majid who too was killed in the clash.

After offering the condolences, the PTI leaders visited the workers in the hospital.

Talking to the leaders representing both political parties made comments about each other’s intentions. Maryam Nawaz praised people of Daska and Wazirabad for resisting every effort for stealing their vote through the brutal use of police and state machinery. She said the PML-N worker had sacrificed his life for the sake of party narrative of “respect to vote”.

Likewise, Information Minister Shibli Faraz said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate Ali Asjad Malhi had won the by-election and the ECP should announce the results.

Faraz said the PML-N leadership was frustrated as the anti-state narrative of Nawaz Sharif had lost support among masses. Prime Minister Imran Khan enjoyed a massive support of the people, he added.

On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif, President of PML-N rejected 90% turnout at all polling stations of Daska whose presiding officers had gone “missing” after the polling process and demanded strict action against those responsible for the incident.

Sharif turned to Twitter on Sunday and said the nation rejects the disappearance of the presiding officers in Daska and over 90% turnout in specific polling stations instead of 30% (the average in over 300 plus other polling stations) like it had rejected the malfunctioning of RTS (result transmission system) in the 2018 elections.

He said the ECP press release on the issue is an “open FIR against the “selected/selectors”.