LAHORE: Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja took notice of the assault on the office of a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate in Lahore’s Sattoo Katla area on Saturday.
As per reports, the office of PPP candidate Manzar Abbas Khokhar was targeted by a Molotov cocktail (petrol bomb) on Friday morning in Lahore.
The party’s spokesperson mentioned that the office of Khokhar, who is participating in the February 8 general elections from the PP-162 constituency, was assaulted by unidentified individuals on Friday morning.
“The banners on the gate were incinerated after being set ablaze by the petrol bombs, and the assailants made off with chairs and other items,” the spokesperson added.
Khokhar’s son lodged a complaint at the Township Police Station, with the police asserting their intention to take legal action against the attackers following an investigation.
Simultaneously, the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) spokesperson informed that they have been instructed to file a first information report (FIR) based on a complaint by the PPP, and directives have been issued to the inspector general of Punjab in this regard.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly denounced the assault, labeling the attack on the candidate’s election office as “clear terrorism.” He criticized the Lahore police for their alleged bias in not registering an FIR for the incident.
Bilawal also expressed condemnation for a shooting incident that occurred during PPP’s Agha Rafiullah’s corner meeting in Gulshan-e-Buner, resulting in four injuries.
“The targeting of PPP candidates’ election campaigns in Lahore and Karachi is concerning,” said Bilawal, affirming that the public will respond to these tactics by voting for the ‘arrow’ on February 8.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
