Firing in Mandranwala amidst NA-75 by-polls

Police teams have been dispatched to the area as the disputed constituency once again votes to select its representative MNA.

A close contest is underway between the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)’s Ali Asjad Malhi and the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Nosheen Iftikhar. 

Polling for the NA-75 seat started at 8 am, continuing without any interval till 5 pm. There are around 494,000 registered voters in the constituency with 360 polling stations set up for them. Counting of votes is currently underway.

Strict security arrangements have been taken and Pakistan Rangers personnel are deployed along with police at the polling stations. The district administration has imposed section 144 in the area and CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor the law and order situation in the constituency. 

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja is also present in the Election Commission Office Punjab to personally monitor the by-elections. A control room has also been set up in the Sialkot Commissioner’s Office. 

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had withheld the results of the February 19 by-elections in NA-75 Daska due to violence, rigging and disappearance of over 20 presiding officers and ordered re-election in the entire constituency. 

On February 25, ECP had ordered re-election in the NA-75 Sialkot-Daska constituency over alleged rigging and irregularities.

The order was later upheld by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial announced the reserved verdict regarding re-polls in Punjab’s Daska constituency. 

The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had challenged decision of top electoral body regarding re-polling in NA-75 in the apex court. The petition was moved by PTI candidate from Daska Ali Asjad Malhi.

Two major changes in this round as compared to the previous one was that Maryam Nawaz, the Vice-president of PML-N, did not participate in the campaign, citing health concerns. The election campaign was mostly managed by Hamza Shehbaz. For the PTI, a welcome change is that PML-Q has thrown in its weight behind Malhi, an act they seemingly refrained from in the first by-polls.