Daska by-poll will keep haunting PTI: Kaira.

Byline: Waseem Ashraf Butt

GUJRAT -- The reckless use of the state machinery, especially police, in Feb 19 Daska by-polls has baffled not only the opposition leaders and local politicians but also the police circles.

Some senior police officers talking to Dawn on condition of anonymity expressed their grave concern over excessive political use of the force

in the Daska by-poll. Some of them even expressed sympathy for Sialkot District Police Officer Hassan Asad Alwi, who despite otherwise being a 'thorough professional' failed to handle the situation on the polling day because of immense political pressure.

One of the officers said that the PML-N when it was in power (2013-18), too had tried to pressurise the then regional police officer (RPO) Zulfiqar Cheema to use police to secure a favourable situation for its candidate for the by-poll in a National Assembly constituency of Gujranwala, but the officer resisted the pressure, resulting in the defeat of the ruling party hopeful.

Commenting on the claims made by Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz and Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar about increase in PTI vote in Daska and Wazirabad constituencies, NA-75 and PP-51, respectively, as compared to its score in 2018 election, PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira said the way government used the state machinery in favour of the PTI candidates in...