KARACHI, Oct 21: PPP leader from Balochistan Mir Baz Khan Khetran, who contested election from NA-263, has demanded repolling in two tehsils, Duki and Bori, where, he claimed, ballot boxes were stuffed with ballot papers carrying numbers of fake NIC cards.
He said if repolling in the two tehsils was not possible, then re-election should be ordered in the constituency.
At a press conference in a local hotel on Monday, he said the results of his constituency had been withheld, and he claimed that massive rigging had taken place at 150 polling stations.
Terming “rigging in his constituency part of a conspiracy to banish the PPP from Balochistan,” Mr Khetran claimed that at some 20 polling stations 100 per cent turnout had been shown, and at one of the polling stations where there were only 395 registered voters 453 votes were polled.
“When the attention of the election authorities were drawn to the rigging, the Election Commission ordered re-polling at two polling stations only. Later, an officer of the EC was sent to Loralai to investigate the charges of rigging,” he said.
Giving an example of “violation” of the election rules, he claimed that presiding staff were transferred even two days before the election day to favour the government-sponsored candidate in the constituency. He also accused the authorities of not allowing his 150 polling agents to reach their assigned polling stations as the authorities took the vehicles, which were to carry them to the polling stations, in their possession. As a result, the polling agents did not reach the polling stations, he claimed.
He demanded that either an inquiry be conducted by a retired or a sitting judge of the High Court or re-election be held in the entire constituency.
Answering a question, Mr Khetran said his constituency was spread over Barkhan, Loralai and Musa Khel and it was so vast that it took more than 12 hours’ drive to travel from one end to the other.
