Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner to stop Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from visiting Lodhran ahead of NA-154 by-elections.
Tareen, in the letter maintained that PM’s visit is a violation of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) code of conduct as the PM will announce a Rs 10 billion special development package for the district.
The PTI leader urged the CEC to take immediate notice of this attempt of ‘pre-poll rigging’.
“You will agree that this is a blatant case of pre-poll rigging. The development package is meant only and only to influence the by-election in favour of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz candidate,” the letter states.
The PTI leader also expressed astonishment over ECP’s delay in announcing the schedule for by-polls days after the SC verdict calling for re-polling in the constituency.
An election tribunal in August had annulled the results of 2013 general election in NA-154, disqualifying PML-N’s Siddique Baloch for possessing fake academic credentials.
The PML-N lawmaker who contested the 2013 poll as an independent candidate and later joined the PML-N, was deseated when the tribunal set aside his election on a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s central organiser Jahangir Khan Tareen.
Siddique Khan Baloch had approached the Supreme Court against the decision of the election tribunal that declared his election on the constituency void and him ‘ineligible’ to contest elections due to his fake educational degree.
SC in its final verdict on October 28 had ordered re-polling in NA-154 constituency (Lodhran) while suspending the tribunal verdict of declaring Pakistan Baloch ‘ineligible’ to contest elections.