A former Mississauga mayoral candidate has been charged after police say death threats were made against a journalist who penned an article bemoaning the quality of Pakistani political candidates in Canada.
The candidate was mentioned in an article originally written in Urdu and posted in English translation on the website Dawn.com on Nov. 5.
In the piece, the writer pokes fun at the candidate and his campaign, particularly a flier that lists his credentials as a member of various chambers of commerce around the world.
According to the City of Mississauga’s election website, the man received 790 votes – or 0.49 per cent of all votes cast in the city’s Oct. 27 municipal election.
Several days after the article appeared, the writer told police he started receiving threatening emails and phone calls to his residence, Halton Regional Police said in a news release Friday.
Halton police told cp24.com that when officers approached the candidate to try and speak with him, he took off in his vehicle sharply so that the officer had to dash out the way to avoid being hit.
A suspect was arrested without incident on November 28, police said. He is expected to appear in a Milton courtroom on Jan. 5, 2015.
Police said 69-year-old Riazuddin Ahmad Choudhry of Mississauga has been charged with dangerous operation and uttering death threats.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Det. Sgt Nick Milinovich at 905 825-4747 ext 2415.
