LAHORE, May 11: The Punjab leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf complains that it was not allowed to compete on a level playing-field on polling day.

“Both the police and the polling staff were partisan and supporting the PML-N,” Tehreek’s Punjab president Ejaz Chaudhry told newsmen at a hurriedly called press conference here on Saturday.

Nowhere in the province, polling started before 9am while the polling staff was intentionally not putting more than the least amount of effort into their work, especially at booths for women voters, said Mr Chaudhry who was flanked by party Punjab general secretary Dr Yasmin Rashid.

Furthermore, arrangements were not in commensurate with the turnout and scores of voters could not exercise their right to franchise due to the go-slow policy of the polling staff, he said.

“We are putting the facts before the people at a time when even unofficial results have yet to start pouring in. We are collecting complaints from all over Punjab and hold a detailed press conference tomorrow,” he said.

Dr Rashid said she was the seventh person in the queue but owing to the go-slow policy of the polling staff, got the ballot after 45 minutes.

“At a number of booths, the polling staff and PML-N workers continued harassing and forcing the women voters to cast vote against their will.

“I lodged a written complaint with NA-120 returning officer and additional district and session judge Sajjad Ahmed regarding the intentional delay on the part of polling staff at polling station 43 to 47 at CDG Girls High School block-I, Ravi Road, Mominpura, at polling station 209 and 210 at Livestock Complex at Khwaja Nazimuddin Road and at CDG Boys High School, Sanda Road, but to no avail,” she said while showing half a dozen coloured photocopies of CNICs seized by PTI people from an assistant presiding officer at New Model School, Dev Samaj Road.

“I attempted to approach an assistant commissioner present there but she kept on having her lunch for half-an-hour and even afterwards she gave me a cold response. Interestingly, the polling was stopped and counting was started,” said Dr Rashid.