Two killed, scores injured as Daska by-election turns deadly

The by-elections for NA-75 in Daska turned deadly as two people got killed and scores got injured during the firing and clashes between the rival parties Friday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

This also led to the suspension of the polling process at some polling stations as Rangers were deployed to control the situation.

The voting, which started peacefully, was later marred by complaints of rigging attempts and irregularities creating hindrance in the way of polling.

The PML-N leaders have accused the government and the local authorities of attempts to slow down the polling process.

The people who made the video of the incident have claimed that PTI supporters were involved in the firing that led to the killing of two persons and injured 10 others.

The police have been accused of stopping people from voting and there was an argument between an SHO and PL-N candidate Nosheen Iftikhar who was denied entry in the polling station.

In another video tweeted by senior anchorperson Hamid Mir, it can be seen that police were stopping women voters from casting their votes despite their insistence citing the firing incident.

ڈسکہ میں آج جگہ جگہ فائرنگ کرنے والے موٹر سائیکل سواروں نے اپنی نمبر پلیٹیں اتار کر کہیں چھپا دی ہیں لیکن سارا علاقہ انکے ایڈریس جانتا ہے صرف مقامی پولیس بے خبر ہے 🤭 pic.twitter.com/1lGoUuOWzx

— Hamid Mir حامد میر (@HamidMirPAK) February 19, 2021

ڈسکہ کے بائی الیکشن میں عورتیں اصرار کر رہی ہیں کہ ہمیں ووٹ ڈالنے دو لیکن پولیس افسر کہہ رہا ہے کہ فائرنگ ہو گئی ہے پولنگ بند ہے عورتوں کو فائرنگ کا کہہ کر ڈرایا جا رہا ہے لیکن وہ ووٹ ڈالنے پر مصر ہیں pic.twitter.com/C8cU4IZqsU

— Hamid Mir حامد میر (@HamidMirPAK) February 19, 2021

This is Daska not Beirut pic.twitter.com/Uux5rRHmgL

— Hamid Mir حامد میر (@HamidMirPAK) February 19, 2021

The administration has called up additional police and Rangers for the maintaining the security and law and order situation.

In Waziradab too, clashes were reported between the rival parties and the police have to intervene at Sohdra’s polling station no 149 to keep the situation under control during the by-election for PP-51.

The police have arrested four PML-N workers.

Voting was underway in by-elections on two national and two provincial assembly (PA) seats in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Friday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

A close contest is expected between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Syeda Nausheen and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Ali Asjad Malhi for NA-75 Daska, Sialkot.

The seat had fallen vacant on account of the death of PML-N MNA Syed Iftikhar Shah.

The number of registered voters in the constituency is around 494,300 and 360 polling stations have been set up out of which 155 are declared sensitive and 25 are highly sensitive.

Similarly, another close contest is expected between PML-N’s Miss Talat Shaukat Manzoor and PTI’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yousuf for PP-51 Wazirabad.

Nasir Kalyar of Jamaat-e-Islami and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) Nasir Mehmood are also in the electoral arena.

This seat had also fallen vacant following the death of PML-N MPA Shaukat Manzoor Cheema.

Meanwhile, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah has said that the party will not accept the election results without Form 45.

He has urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure that each party’s polling agents are present at the time of vote count.

PML-N’s Ikhtiar Wali Khan, PTI’s Mian Muhammad Umer, Awami National Party’s Mian Wajahat and TLP’s Mufti Sanaullah are contesting for PK-63 Nowshera.

The seat had fallen vacant on account of the death of PTI MPA Mian Jamshed Kaka Khel.

The district administration has declared 39 polling stations as the most sensitive for the by-polls scheduled to be held in PK-63.

102 polling stations have been set up to facilitate 141,934 voters including 79,063 men and 62,871 women.

Likewise, votes will be cast in by-elections on NA-45 district Kurram, KP.

The seat had fallen vacant following the demise of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Muneer Orakzai.

Here 27 candidates are battling for a single seat. However, a very close contest is expected between PTI’s Fakhar Zaman, Syed Jamal, an independent, and JUI-F’s Jamil Chamkani.

Rangers and FC personnel have been deployed outside polling stations to avoid any unwanted circumstances.

This is a developing story. Details to follow...