ATTOCK: Under the guise of maintaining the law and order situation during the by-poll on 20 Punjab Assembly seats on Sunday, the Punjab government on Saturday sealed the points connecting the province to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by placing a container on it.
Reports citing sources claimed the provincial government received a threat alert from the intelligence agencies following which it took the decision to close the border town.
As soon as the border was sealed, long queues of vehicles waiting to get to the other side of the border sprung up.
However, reports said if the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) permitted, passenger buses, patients and residents of the slums could be allowed to cross the bridge since there was a lot of resentment among locals against the decision.
FAWAD DECRIES BAN ON GANDAPUR’S ENTRY INTO PUNJAB
Meanwhile, PTI senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry decried the ban imposed by the Punjab government on party colleague Ali Amin Gandapur’s entry into the province.
In a series of tweets, he said: “The ban on Ali Amin Gandapur’s entry into Punjab is not only a violation of basic human rights, but it will harm the unity and integrity of the Federation. But entry ban is an attempt to spoil the environment.”
In a subsequent tweet, he said: “The real threat to law and order in Punjab is people like Rana Sanaullah and Atta Tarar who are spoiling the election environment by administrative interference.”
On Friday, the Punjab government slapped a ban on Gandapur’s entry into the province on the eve of Punjab by-elections. In a statement, Punjab Home Minister Attaullah Tarar alleged that Gandapur and Chaudhry Maqbool Gujjar, a PTI member of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, wanted to stir up violence in Punjab.
“In a bid to maintain law and order situation, the provincial government has decided to clamp ban on Gandapur and Gujjar’s entry in Punjab,” he added.
Tarar further said the government would ensure peaceful and transparent elections and miscreants who will be involved in violent activities will be dealt with iron hands. The minister claimed that PTI was inciting people after sensing defeat in the by-polls.
In his reaction, Gandapur had told the press that he would approach the judiciary against the ECP and the Punjab government. He further said the “imported government” first registered fake FIRs and arrested the PTI workers without any grounds.
