ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians yesterday withdrew party ticket earlier awarded to Rafi Ullah for the forthcoming by-election for NA-45, Kurram-1.

PPPP General Secretary Farhatullah Babar in a letter addressed to the Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan, said Rafi Ullah ceases to be the party candidate and requested ECP secretary not to print his name on the ballot paper as PPP candidate.  Meanwhile yesterday, the PPP filed a petition in the Supreme Court against presidential ordinance on Senate elections open balloting.

The plea has been filed by PPP Secretary Farhatullah Babar requesting the apex court to return the reference.

The petition states: “It is the view of PPPP that the instant reference is only a political question made in furtherance of political objectives and hence ought to be returned.”

It added: “The Senate Elections are held under the Constitution as the same are explicitly detailed therein and no plausible reason has been given as to why the legislature has omitted the same from the purview of Article 226.” 

The PPP also wrote a letter to the ECP and stated that two workers of the party were injured by firing of Haleem Adil Sheikh’s guards who allegedly exhibited illegal weapons.  The PPP urged the commission to take strict action against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and others who were with him. Harsh words were also exchanged between PTI candidate and polling agent over violation of code of conduct, the PPP claimed. 108 polling stations were set up for by-elections in PS-88 constituency out of which 36 were declared sensitive and 33 were declared most sensitive.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman took to social media to highlight the provincial lawmaker’s alleged misconduct. “By law, no MPA (Member of the Provincial Assembly) can enter the constituency while polling is ongoing, but (Haleem Adil Sheikh) has flouted all laws,” she said.