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Awami Muslim League’s candidate, Sheikh Rasheed refuses to accept the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s decision of delaying elections in NA-60. One day after the announcement of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)’s candidate, Hanif Abbasi’s imprisonment, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced the postponement of elections in NA-60, Rawalpindi-IV.
In the same constituency going head to head against Hanif Abbasi was a candidate, Sheikh Rashid, member of the Awami Muslim League. This verdict was passed on Saturday, just 4 days before the scheduled date of general elections, as a special anti-narcotics court sentenced him in the Ephedrine Quota case on Saturday which had been going on since 2010.
Sheikh Rasheed tweeted that even though Lahore High Court knocked down his petition challenge yesterday, his supporters should join him in Lahore as he made his way to the Supreme Court Lahore Registry in hopes of them hearing his case.
He faced charges of misusing 500kg of controlled chemical ephedrine, obtained from his company, Gray Pharmaceutical. After taking up to 6 years, the court announced its result, ruling that 363kg out of 500kg was accounted for, however, the rest wasn’t. As the verdict of this court came out, the following day ECP canceled elections of NA-60, postponing them up to 2 months.
Read more: The people’s champion Sheikh Rasheed demands ‘Martial Law’
Sheikh Rasheed then filed a petition against this decision given by ECP, however, it didn’t follow through. Sheikh Rasheed tweeted that even though Lahore High Court knocked down his petition challenge yesterday, his supporters should join him in Lahore as he made his way to the Supreme Court Lahore Registry in hopes of them hearing his case.
ہم لاہور جا رہے ہیں،پولنگ ایجنٹ اپنی تیاری جاری رکھیں
ہمارا کیس لاہورمیں لگا دیا گیاہے،— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) July 24, 2018
Sheikh Rasheed was treating this verdict as a matter of coincident and bad luck on part of Hanif Abbasi and didn’t feel the necessary need to postpone elections for the sake of one candidate.
On one side as Sheikh Rasheed expressed his anger for delay of elections, the polar side was showing distaste on part of PML-N supporters. PML-N supporters posed allegations on the special courts for purposefully announcing this result on a convenient day. PML-N supporters demanded the arrest of the other seven accused suspects, which were allegedly given the benefit of the doubt.
Read more: Sheikh Rasheed’s petition against postponement of polls hangs in mid-air
They expressed their analysis of this being another controversy against the former ousted premier, Nawaz Sharif’s party, as Sheikh Rasheed’s line got clear due to the sentencing of Hanif Abbasi. They also linked Sheikh Rasheed’s alliance with that of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, party, which is an announced rival of PML-N.
Moreover, Sheikh Rasheed was treating this verdict as a matter of coincident and bad luck on part of Hanif Abbasi and didn’t feel the necessary need to postpone elections for the sake of one candidate.