KARAK - Unidentified men attacked election office of an independent candidate and forced his supporters to leave the place.

Video of the attack went viral on social media. The local people said on Tuesday that office of Jamait Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl dissident leader and independent candidate for PK-85 Javed Iqbal was attacked by a dozen people in Banda Daud Shah. The attackers forced supporters of the candidate to leave. They set on fire flags of the candidate and abused his supporters. The attackers also chanted slogans in favour of another independent candidate of the same constituency and marched in the area.

Javed Iqbal and other political activists strongly condemned the incident and termed it an open violation of the code of conduct of election. They said that every candidate had the right to open his or her office anywhere in the constituency to facilitate their supporters and workers and such attacks preview of pre-poll rigging which could not be tolerated in any way.

They said that they believed in fair contest where voters have the choice to elect whoever they deem fit. They said that such acts would definitely lead to violence and it would make the political scene of the district unpleasant. They stressed the candidates to train their supporters and workers in manners to avoid confrontation and to tolerate one another in the wider interests of the district.

 They said that they strongly believed in democratic process and warned that some vicious elements could also take advantage of the unpleasant situation by forwarding their own nefarious agenda.

 Therefore, it was the need of the time to keep intact the pleasant political atmosphere through unity so that the people could elect their representatives on July 25 through democratic way, they said. They also demanded of the Tehsil Banda Daud Shah administration to bring the elements involved in the incident to justice as early as possible.

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