MULTAN - The intra-party elections of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were no less than an action packed thriller as the workers attacked polling station, destroyed ballot boxes, tore ballot papers and thrashed one another with clubs and iron rods, causing suspension of the polls once again here on Saturday.
The brother of a district president candidate namely Mohsin Janjua got his arm broken while four other supporters of the same group were injured during the brawl. The polling station presented the view of a war-ravaged structure as the doors, windowpanes and vehicles parked around were smashed by the angry mob.
Although heavy police contingents were deployed around the polling station, the cops stood unconcerned and did not intervene. Both the groups are said to be patronised by two heavy weights-Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Earlier, the intra-party elections were held on February 26. However, the members of different groups levelled rigging allegations against one another and brawled on which the polls were postponed and scheduled for March 2. The party high-command dispatched a special 30-member election team from Okara and Sahiwal under the leadership of Masood Tulla and Sardar Farooq Khan for conducting the election, but to no avail.
Witnesses said that apparently the candidate of Nazriyati Group for district president Ijaz Janjua was winning the election on which the supporters of Khalid Javed Warraich, candidate of Hamkhayal Group, launched a planned sabotage.
"There was no provocation. The polling was going on peacefully. They attacked the polling station after seeing their clear defeat," said Ijaz Janjua while talking to the journalists.
The polling started at 9:30 am and went on smoothly until 12:30 when the members of Hamkhayal Group led by Nadem Qureshi, Tufail Ansari, Noman Baloch, Rana Afzal and others stormed the polling station.
The attackers run away with four ballot boxes besides destroying other boxes.
Talking to the journalists, Khalid Javed Warraich accused election committee of supporting his opponents. "The rigging was done under the patronage of election committee. They had concealed fake ballot papers in washrooms," he claimed.
No senior party leaders including Javed Hashmi and Shah Mehmood Qureshi could be reached for a comment as their mobile phones were not responding.