TAXILA: At the peak of electioneering for the Taxila by-elections, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has announced a public meeting on September 23, in which party chairman Imran Khan is scheduled to address party workers, in order to gather support for PTI candidate Ammar Sadeeq Khan.
The two main contenders in the election, the PTI and the PML-N, have each launched vigorous election campaigns for the PP-7 (Taxila-Chakri) Rawalpindi-IV by-election to be held on September 26, the seat for which fell vacant after the death of PTI’s MPA-elect Mohammad Sadeeq Khan.
Flanked by the party’s candidate Ammar Sadeeq Khan, the PTI MPA from Wah Cantt Tamoor Masood Akbar, Taxila Cantonment Board vice president Sardar Raza Shah, Wah Cantonment Board vice president Amjad Kashmiri and other office bearers, PTI MNA Ghulam Sarwar Khan addressed a press conference at the party’s local secretariat announcing the September 23 event.
He said the large public meeting would be held at Railway Park, and is likely to be attended by the leadership of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), as both parties are allied with the PTI in support of its by-election candidate.
Ghulam Sarwar Khan said the PTI’s youth wing would also hold a rally this month, as a show of power and to muster support for the public meeting.
He claimed major political groups and heavyweights from various parts of the constituency, including from political rival Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s home constituency Chakri and from Dhamial, would join the PTI bandwagon on this occasion.
In response to a question, the MNA said Imran Khan would turn the tide in favour of the PTI candidate, as the party chairman’s presence is likely to motivate voters.
He added that the election commission and the returning officer have not taken into consideration, despite repeated pleas, his two points about the deployment of polling staff outside NA-52 and NA-53 and the rescheduling of polling day to any nearest Sunday or Saturday.
He said the political parties and the contesting candidates have agreed on the point that, if there is no holiday, hundreds and thousands of federal government employees will not be able to cast their votes, as polling typically remains low in by-elections.
He also thanked the election commission for approving his demand for the deployment of military personnel within and outside polling stations on election day.
He said the district returning officer and the provincial election commission authorities have confirmed that army and Rangers personnel will be deployed on polling day to ensure a free and fair elections process.
