LAHORE: Violence marred the election process in Lahore, Ferozewala and Zafarwal as clashes between rival political factions left one person dead and another arrested and injured.
Zafarwal’s constituency, PP-54, saw clashes between PML-N and PTI workers in which a 60-year-old man was killed after being hit on the head with a cane. Voting at Kot Naju polling station was delayed for a while due to clashes.
A 60-year-old man, said a PML-N worker, who was injured during the clash, died in hospital during treatment. Rescue sources said Muhammad Yusuf was hit on the head with a wooden stick.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari condoled the death of a PML-N worker. He pointed out that the PTI thugs had shown their usual style of robbery and said that the Punjab Police should immediately arrest the killer of party activist Muhammad Yousuf.
On the other hand, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal met the family of the deceased PML-N worker and mourned his death. “We will never tolerate the politics of oppression and violence,” he said, adding that the perpetrators would be brought to justice soon.
The Election Commission issued a statement on the incident and said that the clash between political party workers took place 200 meters away from the Kot Naju polling station and the accused were arrested by the police.
He said that polling in Zafarwal’s 33rd Kot Naju constituency was going smoothly. “Political party workers should show patience and tolerance,” Punjab Election Commissioner Ijaz Anwar Chauhan said.
