LAHORE
Punjab government has blocked the bridge connecting the province with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ahead of by-elections in Punjab 20 constituencies citing security reasons.
DPO Bhakkar said that the bridge has been closed for any kind of traffic at Dajal Checkpost due to security concerns and it will remain closed till polling ends on Sunday. On the other, the decision to block the bridge has affected the flow of traffic in the area.
The Punjab government has imposed a ban on entry of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leaders Ali Amin Gandapur and Maqbool Gujjar into the province.
Punjab Home Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Gandapur and Gujjar want to make the by-elections bloody
that’s why they have been barred from entering Punjab. Tarar said no one will be allowed to carry arms during the by-polls and section 144 has been imposed in the province.
Twenty Punjab seats fell vacant after the election commission disqualified members of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party at his request when they switched loyalties and voted for Hamza Shahbaz during the Punjab Chief Minister election.
Sunday’s vote in Punjab is seen as a possible bellwether for national elections that must be held by October next year, although Khan has campaigned
across the country for an earlier poll since being dismissed by a no-confidence vote in April.
