The Punjab Assembly witnessed another day of pandemonium on Monday as the PPP legislators said the PML-N activists of torturing the MPAs, including opposition leader Raja Riaz, during the Sunday’s Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections in the provincial capital. Both the parties accused each other of rigging the polls as the PML-N declared the result as an engineered one while the PPP maintained that the Punjab government used state in favour of the PML-N candidates. The PML-N lawmakers said President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani directly influenced the election and the PPP obtained the desired results making the AJK chief election commissioner a hostage. However, the PML-Q remained a silent spectator during the mayhem.
Major (r) Zulfiqar Gondal, who was leading the PPP members in the absence of Raja Riaz, on a point of order, said the PML-N set new records of rigging, as it bullied the PPP workers and leaders at the polling stations. He said the PML-N activists under the patronage of local administration were busy in casting fake votes but when the PPP members raised the issue, they resorted to violence and even thrashed the opposing female political activists.
He also mentioned that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif did not attend the call by Governor Latif Khosa to inquire about the situation at the polling stations in Lahore. But provincial minister Ch Abdul Ghafoor and Rana Arshad denied the charges and said the PPP was making a hue and cry only to conceal the fact that it manoeuvred the process. At this point, Faiza Malik showed the fake stamps seized and wanted to express her point of view but Zaeem Qadri, Naveed Anjum, Rahila Khadim Hussain and other treasury members stood up at the seats and spoiled her attempt while Speaker Rana Iqbal did not permit them to speak. Later, the PPP members staged a walkout from the house but they joined proceedings after a few minutes.
The parliamentary leader of PML-Q, Ch Zaheeruddin, backed the PPP legislators’ stance and said they used their democratic right to record their protest in a democratic good manner.
