Maryam Nawaz presents ‘irrefutable evidence’ of rigging in Sialkot by-poll

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has said despite all rigging attempts made by the PTI-led government, her party won all seats in Friday’s by-polls in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Talking to media she thanked the party workers and the people of Daska and Nowshera who "guarded their votes" and "caught the thieves".

She said they wrung free the votes from "a crocodile's grip".

PML-N Vice President said in Nowshera, the government did not see the PML-N's victory coming, because it had not won there before.

Government camps were ‘empty’ there was a lot of "visible support" for the PML-N, said Maryam.

"So they resorted to firing in broad daylight. There is a video in which you can see the PTI candidate, his relatives firing," she alleged, adding that it led to the tragic deaths of "two children".

A video clip was also been displayed during the presser, which showed candidate with a red circle marked around him for identification.

"A video never lies," Maryam said. "When there is evidence, it is shown. Allegations are not levelled just like that."

She then went on to raise questions as to what was being done inside polling stations with the doors shut, when there was still time to cast votes.

She said desperate voters, when time was about to draw to a close, started banging on the doors and forced their way inside.

While referring to the alleged rigging videos which were shared by her last night, Maryam said a man who could be seen sitting in car with a “white bag of ballots” was a presiding officer.

"When they were unable to keep them out, they resorted to run away with bags of votes," claimed Maryam. "This is Wazirabad I am speaking of. The presiding officer was caught red-handed with a white bag full of votes we caught him in the presence of Rangers."

Refereeing to events in the NA-75 Sialkot-IV, she said that the government "did not stop at that". "They then proceeded to disappear around 20 staff of the Election Commission."

"We don't know where they were kept for 14 hours and what they had them do," she added.

Maryam also extended condolences to the people who died a day earlier during violence amid the by-polls.

The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) earlier in the day had claimed victory in the NA-75 by-elections even though the ECP stated that results of 20 polling stations in the constituency were "feared compromised".

The PTI also lost the by-polls in its stronghold, Nowshera PK-63, with the PML-N candidate winning the seat.

The ECP had restrained the authorities from announcing unofficial results of NA-75 Sialkot-VI as both the ruling party and PML-N claimed victory in the constituency.