NAWABSHAH, Sept 19: The People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) candidates from Nawabshah district on Thursday accused a minister and the district administration of supporting their rival candidates.

They were talking to the visiting three-member US embassy election observers’ group comprising the deputy political counsellor of the US embassy in Islamabad, Dundas McCullough, the political/economic officer of the US consulate in Karachi, Amy Tacho and the ARSO, US consulate in Karachi, Teresa Teno.

The PPP candidates, who met with the visiting US diplomats included Dr Azra Pechwo, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Jam Tamachi Unnar, Tariq Arain, Syed Ali Ahmed Shah, Ali Ahmed Jalbani and Syed Bagh Ali Shah.

Dr Azra Pechwo, a PPP candidate contesting polls from NA-213, accused the education minister Khan Mohammad Dahri, along with the district administration, of backing her rival candidates.

She said that the education minister was campaigning for his cousins. She handed over two video cassettes in this regards.

The PPP candidate informed the group that the education minister had transferred 45 teachers despite a ban on transfers and postings. She termed the announcement of Asif Zardari’s conviction in the night illegal.

Meanwhile, another PPP candidate from PS-24, Tariq Arain, said that several police officials, including a TPO, had been transferred despite the ban announced by the Election Commission.

Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah said that a case of water theft had been registered against him and it took him over a week to get bail from the high court, which affected his election campaign.

Earlier, candidates of the PML-Q, MMA, Sunni Tehrik, PTI, PML-N, SDA as well as independent candidates also met with the US observers.

Syed Sajjad Shah, the PML-N candidate from PS-24, urged the delegation to help in return of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. Syed Zahid Shah of the PML-Q, contesting polls from NA-213, accused district Nazim Faryal Talpur of campaigning for her sister Azra Pechwo of the PPP. He also accused her of offering bribes to the councillor in this connection.

The assistant election commissioner, Syed Nadeem Haider, briefed the delegation about the preparations for the upcoming polls.

PROTEST RALLY: The activists of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP), Nawabshah, took out a large protest rally in cars and motorcycles on the Qazi Ahmed National Highway on Thursday against the rejection of the nomination papers of Benazir Bhutto.