RAHIM YAR KHAN – Rahim Yar Khan Assistant Commissioner (AC) Waqas Zafar on Friday sealed all polling materials and halted the Rahim Yar Khan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RYKCCI) Corporate Class elections, following a stay order from the Lahore High Court (LHC) Bahawalpur Bench. The LHC has scheduled the next hearing for October 15, 2024.
After the disputed elections held on September 14 and 16, the Director General of Trade Organisations (DGTO) declared the previous election process null and void based on a complaint from candidates representing the Azzad Ittehad Group (AIG). Following consultations with stakeholders, the DGTO ordered a re-polling of the RYKCCI elections in accordance with election rules.
In response, the RYKCCI executive body allegedly hurriedly formed a new election commission, in violation of the Trade Organisation Act of 2013. This commission announced the Corporate Class elections for September 27 and the Associate Class elections for September 28, just one day apart. AIG candidate Mian Muhammad Aslam subsequently filed a writ petition with the LHC Bahawalpur Bench, arguing that the new election schedule violated the Trade Organisation Act and Chamber Regulations. Justice Muzammal Akhtar Shabbir of the LHC agreed with Aslam’s counsel, Kumail Sarfraz Dogar, and ordered an immediate halt to the polling process. When AIG legal advisor Ramzan Shamma delivered the LHC stay order to election commission members Mian Kashif Latif, Mian Asmaar Akram, and Mian Shahid Mushtaq, they refused to accept it, insisting on a verified copy. They continued the polling process until evening.
However, following instructions from the Additional Attorney General of the LHC Bahawalpur Bench to deputy commissioner, AC Waqas Zafar arrived at the RYKCCI building, took custody of all ballot boxes, and halted the polling. RYKCCI Secretary Usman Azhar confirmed that the district administration had sealed all election materials and that polling for the day was not completed.
