ECP Ensured Transparent Election In Sialkot: Ahsan Saleem Baryar

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Aug, 2021 ) :Newly elected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member Provincial Assembly from PP-38 Sialkot Ahsan Saleem Baryar on Tuesday terming Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)'s rigging allegations as totally baseless, said that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ensured transparent and rigging free by-election in Sialkot.

Addressing a press conference here at DGPR on Tuesday along with PTI leader Saleem Baryar, he said that the allegation of unusual turnout in the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)'s appeal submitted to ECP was wrong as the 2018 turnout was around 60 per cent which was reduced to 55.5 per cent in the recently held by-election although 24000 new voters were registered in three years in this constituency.

Ahsan Saleem Baryar said the citizens had voted for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf while ECP remained completely impartial, adding that the PML-N leaders also admitted to electoral transparency and impartiality of the administration while talking to media in the evening on polling day.

He said that media covered whole the election process and visited all the polling stations on polling day and reported that whole process was completed smoothly and turnover was high even in rainy weather condition.

While talking about the PML-N leader Ata Tarar's allegation of development work by PTI government worth around three billion in the constituency, Ahsan Saleem Baryar said that ground realities were totally different and the constituency would have been entirely transformed if such a large amount was spent there. It is the usual modus operandi of PML-N to level rigging allegations in case of their defeat and term the election as transparent if they win, he continued.

He reiterated that the allegation of Ata Tarar about winning the election through presiding officers and form-45 was wholly baseless, adding that the reality was that the people did not support the anti-state narrative of PML-N and sided with PTI to ensure development as they had long experienced the impassiveness of the PML-N. "We shall respond to PML-N's allegations submitted to ECP in consultation with lawyers", he added.

On the occasion, Saleem Baryar said that 60 per cent of the population of the constituency was Jatt while Awan and Arain clans also supported them. "These factors resulted in our victory," he added.