"Honey, this year, why don't we take our vacation in Pakistan? Their tourism minister said — "
"Oh, he's dead now, dear! Didn't you hear?"
"Well, I'm sure the new one will be just as nice!" |
 LAHORE: The election campaign in Union Council 105 was disrupted on Tuesday when supporters of two candidates’ parties, including Tourism Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, opened fire at each other after exchanging harsh words.
"Yer mudder wears combat boots!"
"Hypocrite!"
"Heretic!"
"Apostate!"
"Go fer yer guns, Mahmoud!" |
A bullet hit the minister’s car and also injured an activist of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) during the crossfire.
| Somehow, we just knew JI would be involved... |
Both the parties blamed each other for the incident and submitted their applications with the concerned police station for the registration of a case.
"You started it!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Liar!"
"Infidel!"
"Go fer yer guns, Ahmed!" |
Former district nazim Mian Amir Mehmood said in a press conference on Tuesday at the Lahore Press Club that the tourism minister was on his way to visit a hospital project when he got into a clash with JI supporters. The matter was resolved in a mosque but JI supporters opened fire when the minister came out of the mosque.
"Well, sorry for the misunderstanding, Mahmoud! Glad we got that worked out!"
"Duck!" |
The JI wanted to disrupt the peace of Lahore, Mian Amir said adding, no political party or religious force could be allowed to violate the law. He also said that authorities should take notice of this incident. The former district nazim said that the party responsible for the incident had been identified and an FIR had been filed against them. He said the people who initiated the crossfire were JI supporters.
| The JI? Oh, come now! Pshaw! |
The JI could indulge in such things only in Karachi but they could not be allowed to do the same in Lahore, he added.
"We got lawnorder up here, by Gar!"
"Look out!" |
He also said the incident showed that JI were aware of their weak position in the upcoming local council elections. On the other hand, a JI press statement blamed the leaders of Watan Dost Group (WDP) for the confrontation.
"Yeah! It wudn't us! They dunnit!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!" |
JI said that Muhammad Saleem, candidate for nazim, and Abid Mir, activist of Shabab-e-Milli and candidate for naib nazim at Union Council 105, had arranged a meeting at their election office on Tuesday. The tourism minister, whose brother is Abid Mir’s counterpart in the upcoming local council elections, and his supporters opened fire at them before the meeting and injured an activist, Adeel, the JI said. Muthida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Lahore President Hafiz Salman Butt said that the JI was not responsible for the incident.
| "[Sniff!] Certainly not!" |
It was Mian Aslam’s political strategy to get the sympathy of the voters of the area, he added.
| The one with the most casualties wins? |
He also said that the minister, who had been in charge of his brother’s election campaign, arranged this drama when he realised that his brother was not in a position to win.
| "It wuz all trumped up! The ammunition was hardly even live!" |
Eyewitnesses said that the minister, accompanied by his bodyguards, was going into a local mosque to say his prayers when JI supporters confronted him and they got into a scuffle. The matter was resolved peacefully inside the mosque and the minister came out of the mosque after the JI supporters, eyewitnesses said. |