Saad Rafique warns against foul play in by-polls

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Khawaja Saad Rafique on Sunday warned if any foul play is done in crucial by-elections being held today his party would respond aggressively. 

Speaking to media after casting his ballot in NA-131, the former railways minister said contesting election in Pakistan is no mean feat as level-playing field is not provided to assembly aspirants.

He expressed dissatisfaction over the arrangements for polling in his constituency, saying details of polling booths set up in a polling station have not been displayed outside it, nor had election staff proper knowledge about the voting process.

Khawaja Saad Rafique is facing off PTI’s Humayun Akhtar Khan in NA-131, Lahore, vacated by Prime Minister Imran Khan after the July 25 polls.

The prime minister had won in all five National Assembly constituencies he contested the general elections from and decided to retain his native Mianwali seat, vacating the rest.

The polling for by-election on 35 constituencies of National and provincial assemblies is underway countrywide amid strict security.

The by-polls are being conducted on 11 National and 24 provincial assembly seats including 11 from Punjab Assembly, nine from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two each from Sindh and Balochistan. More than five million registered voters, around 2.3 million women and over 2.7 million men, are going to exercise their right to vote. Overseas Pakistanis will vote for the first time in the by-polls through iVoting.