Lahore: A woman candidate backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), contesting against Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif in Lahore's NA-130 constituency, was indicted in a terrorism case on Tuesday, two days before the elections as authorities intensify crackdown on PTI leaders and supporters. Dr Yasmin Rashid, like other PTI leaders, is contesting as an independent after the party was denied its electoral symbol.
According to reports, PTI's now independent candidates are not being allowed to campaign in their constituencies as the party is facing a crackdown backed by Pakistan's military establishment, thus paving the way for its rival PML-N, now back in the Army's favour, to win the elections. Rashid was indicted by an Anti-Terrorism Court on Tuesday in a case related to attacking a police station in Lahore on May 9 violence that had erupted after the arrest of Khan by paramilitary Rangers.
Dozens of military and state buildings, including the Army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the ISI building in Faisalabad, were torched and vandalised by many PTI activists during the unprecedented violence that broke out after Khan's arrest last year. Rashid has been in jail since May last and her party supporters are doing door-to-door campaigning.
Raids on PTI offices
The PTI on Tuesday alleged that the houses of the party leaders and supporters are being raided across the province by the police, whilst also harassing women workers. This comes as , police sealed the main election office of its incarcerated candidate Aaliya Hamza who is contesting against former premier Shehbaz Sharif's son Hamza Shehbaz in Lahore's NA-118.
Similarly, police raided the residence of PTI President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi in the Gujrat district of Punjab and harassed his wife and sister who are contesting polls. The police team asked them to give the list of polling agents. Similar incidents were reported at the residences of different leaders and candidates of PTI in Multan, Sargodha, Toba Tek Singh, Sahiwal, Khanewal and Sheikhupura.
"Will the ECP (Election Commission of Pakistan) take notice of this fascism? They are applying every fascist tactic to keep the PTI from the polls. And on the election day they will try to create an environment of terror so that the PTI voters don't turn up," a PTI spokesperson said and added the nation will take revenge and defeat the “mafia people” with the power of their vote on February 8.
Additionally, the authorities allegedly blocked the voter's assistant helpline number introduced by the PTI. "Helpline blocked by the authorities. PTI shall not be demoralised by these tactics employed to keep the party's massive support out of the equation. We shall keep innovating ways to educate our voters, come what may," the party said.
Pakistan's upcoming elections
Pakistan is scheduled to hold elections for a new parliament on February 8 (Thursday). According to the data released by the Pakistan Election Commission, at least 44 political parties are vying for a share of the 266 seats that are up for grabs in the National Assembly, or the lower house of parliament, with an additional 70 seats reserved for women and minorities.
The triangular contest involves the Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of imprisoned Imran Khan. Due to the absence of former prime minister Khan, who is in jail after being convicted of corruption charges, the PTI’s fate is difficult to gauge at this point but it may still stage an upset.
A political crackdown has been more visible in Pakistan than in previous years, making this week’s vote among the least credible in the country’s history. The PTI is actively being stopped from campaigning for the elections, several of its leaders jailed, back-to-back convictions for its founder and ex-PM Imran and the electoral watchdog depriving the party of its electoral symbol of a cricket bat.
The United States is closely monitoring Pakistan’s electoral process, an official of the US State Department has said, observing that it has concerns over the infringement with respect for freedom of expression, assembly, and associations. A large number of foreign journalists and observers have also arrived in Pakistan to monitor and cover the election exercise.
(with inputs from PTI)
