LAHORE: On Friday, a spokesperson for Imran Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) claimed that Pakistani intelligence services are openly abducting and harassing party candidates ahead of the upcoming February 8 election. Specifically, the spokesperson gave the example of former lawmaker and PTI-backed candidate Khayal Ahmad Kastro who was apparently abducted by plainclothes agents right outside a district court in Faisalabad “even after securing bail from the court”. This latest accusation comes at a time when the PTI is facing several obstacles in its efforts to contest the upcoming February 8 elections. Several party leaders, including Imran Khan himself, are currently languishing in jail facing several charges, the party has lost its iconic cricket bat symbol and the nomination papers of Khan and other senior members of the party have been rejected. 

Now, according to party secretary general Omar Ayub, even independent PTI-backed candidates are not being allowed to contest in the upcoming elections. He claimed that police and security agencies are targeting any PTI-backed candidate who launches any sort of political activity in the various constituencies. 

“There is no justice or rule of law in Pakistan as the PTI candidate was abducted outside the court. There is no level playing field for the PTI," said Ayub, claiming that the state is using every ‘fascist’ tactic to keep the party out of the upcoming elections. 

With inputs from PTI (Press Trust of India).