KARACHI: Nazims and councillors slam pressure tactics
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 24: Over 50 Nazimeen and councillors from Karachi and interior of Sindh have stated that numerous government dignitaries, secret agencies and the Sindh Governor, Mohammedmian Soomro, in particular, along with his monitoring teams, have been pressurizing them to become part of the political agenda of the government and work for Gen Pervez Musharraf in Sindh for the presidential referendum on April 30.
They made this statement at Bilawal House, on Wednesday, before a number of representatives belonging to the international media and informed them about the nature of pressure by the government. The PPP Central Information Secretary, Taj Haider, was also present on the occasion.
They said that they got themselves elected despite all hurdles set up by the state, by defeating government-sponsored candidates in the local government elections and resigning from their political offices in the light of the SLO. They also said that they had been serving the people for the last eight months without any discrimination in their respective localities, but after the decision taken to hold the referendum, they were being pressurized and threatened by summoning them in offices of sensitive agencies to ensure implementation of the planning of referendum on April 30 or face the consequences.
“A plan, in advance, has already has been implemented to show 75 to 82 per cent votes cast in favour of Gen Pervez Musharraf, while on referendum day, only a formality would be practically demonstrated,” they claimed.
In this connection, they said, a formula has been chalked out by the National Reconstruction Bureau and accordingly 87,074 polling stations would be set up in the entire country. In contrary to reality, 90pc votes would be cast on April 28 and 29 in different national institutions in the light of the results prepared for declaration on April 30.
The entire exercise would be carried under supervision of special monitoring teams of the NRB. The institutions in which such bogus votes would be cast include Wapda, Sui Southern Gas, Habib Bank, State Bank of Pakistan, United Bank, Islamabad Development Authority, Pakistan Steel, Pakistan Post Offices, international airports and educational institutions, Sindh, Punjab, NWFP and Balochistan secretariats; health department, government hospitals, Pakistan Railways, income tax offices and other national institutions.
