ISLAMABAD - Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi claimed on Sunday that like 2018 General Elections, by-polls in Daska were also ‘heavily rigged’.

Addressing a press conference with Marriyum Aurangzeb, the senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader came down hard on government over by-election Daska inquiry report, and read out some of its findings about attempted rigging in by-poll.

Abbasi alleged that multiple government tiers from the local administration to the provincial and federal governments were involved in attempted rigging. “Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Prime Minister Imran Khan will have to give answers,” he said.

The former prime minister expressed the hope that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will make the report public so the people could see for themselves “what happens in our election and who steals it and how?”

“We hope the ECP will give exemplary punishment to these people. We hope the judiciary will not close its eyes on this violation of the Constitution and will take the kind of action that no one ever thinks about stealing the election,” he said.

Terming the issue a ‘test’ for the higher judiciary, Abbasi said if it could disqualify a prime minister for not taking a salary - referring to the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif - then it could take action on a constitutional violation as well. “If our judiciary wants to do anything for the country then today is the test for it,” he remarked.

The controversial by-election in February this year was marred by violence, rigging and the disappearance of more than 20 presiding officers (POs), and a fact-finding inquiry was launched to probe into irregularities.

Subsequently, the ECP had withheld results of the by-poll and ordered re-election in the entire constituency after suspicion that results might have been falsified. The order was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

The PML-N demanded of the judiciary to take suo motu notice of Daska by-election for ‘violation of the Constitution” after a report by the Election Commission of Pakistan determined that the polls were not held in a free and transparent manner.

Noting the report’s contents, he said that an officer of Education Department Sialkot summoned all presiding officers to Daska College and gave them instructions.

“Presiding officers were directed to keep voting slow in Daska city,” Abbasi said, adding that they were “told not to interfere in whatever the police and administration do”. “Polling stations were ordered to end polling at 4:30pm,” he said, in further reference to the report.

Abbasi, quoting the report, said that a female officer of Education Department also invited women presiding officers to her home. Assistant Commissioner Daska and DSP Sambrial were also present at the DEO’s house. “Women presiding officers were asked to help the government and not interfere in rigging,” he said, citing the report.

The PML-N leader went on to say that 20 presiding officers were transferred via private vehicles under the “scheme” and were “kept at two different police stations” as well as an unknown location. Further referencing the report, he said that one woman presiding officer was “maltreated”.

“The report says the RO did not leave his office,” Abbasi said, adding that the returning officers “did not know of the missing presiding officers’ whereabouts till seven hours later”.

The report states, Abbasi added, that police officers, instead of fulfulling their mandated duty to protect the electoral staff, were found involved in ‘kidnapping’ them. “Only time will tell who was afraid and why,” the former premier conlcuded.