By-elections: PML-N, PTI clashes kill one in PP-54 Zafarwal

ZAFARWAL: At least one dead in clashes between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) workers in PP-54 Zafarwal during by-elections, ARY News reported.

As per details, the police officials said that the deceased was identified as 60-year-old Muhammad Yousuf, a PML-N worker.

Following the tragic incident, the police took the dead body into custody for further investigation.

Reacting to the incident, the Punjab Election Commissioner’s spokesperson said that the polling continued uninterrupted despite the incident as it occurred 200 meters away from the polling station.

Election Commissioner Punjab, Ejaz Anwar Chohan, urged political parties to remain tolerant and appealed to workers to refrain from violence.

It is worth mentioning that voting for the by-elections on twenty-one vacant seats of National and Provincial Assemblies is underway in Pakistan on Sunday under strict security.

According to Election Commission of Pakistan, the polling is being held on five National Assembly seats, twelve Punjab Assembly seats, two seats of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and two seats of Balochistan Assembly.

The polling will continue till five in the evening without any break.

Read more: By-elections: Polling underway for 21 vacant seats in Pakistan

The Election Commission has set up Election Monitoring and Control Centers to register and address public complaints during the by-elections.

These Centers are located at provincial, divisional and district levels, in addition to the Election Commission Secretariat in Islamabad.

In a bid to safeguard the integrity and security of the electoral process, the federal government has temporarily suspended the cellular services in specific districts of Punjab and Balochistan during the electoral process today.

In a statement, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that in line with the directions of the Ministry of Interior, the cellular services will remain temporarily suspended in certain districts of the two provinces for two days during the by-elections.

“This decision has been taken to safeguard the integrity and security of the electoral process,” the PTA said.