The nomination papers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Umar Dar and Rehana Imtiaz, mother of former advisor to the Prime Minister Usman Dar, were rejected from National Assembly Constituency NA-71 Sialkot. Media reports also indicate that the nomination papers of Umar Dar's wife, Aruba Dar, faced a similar fate. These rejections come as League-N leaders submitted nomination papers against Khawaja Asif. Expressing strong condemnation, PTI Secretary General Umar Ayub asserted that the rejection of their candidates' nomination papers was anticipated. Ayub alleged that the returning officers (ROs) succumbed to pressure and speculated that the 'software' of these ROs had been intentionally 'updated' to work against PTI. He claimed that parties like JUIF, PPP, and MQM, unable to compete fairly, were resorting to such tactics. Ayub urged opposing parties to muster the courage to face PTI in free and fair elections, emphasizing the need for a government elected by the people to navigate the country out of crises.

He warned that persistent pre-poll rigging could undermine the transparency of the electoral process, escalating political instability and eroding national harmony. During a core committee meeting of PTI, supervised by ROs and administrative officers nationwide, particularly in Punjab, strong condemnation was voiced against what was deemed the worst attempts of pre-election rigging. The statement also criticized government interference in document verification and deviation from the law by state machinery. The roundup of PTI candidates and supporters, despite court orders, was labeled as a blatant violation of democracy. The PTI statement accused returning officers with controversial reputations of placing fabricated objections on their candidates' nomination papers. This, they argued, was an attempt to entangle them in lengthy legal proceedings. The party strongly denounced the alleged plan to block communication with voters and held the Election Commission of Pakistan responsible for failing to address what they termed as the worst electoral engineering through illegal and unconstitutional activities of returning officers.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)