KARACHI, Oct 24: Pakistan People’s Party said on Friday that ruling party was manipulating elections to the vacant seats of Nazims and deputy nazims in some districts of Sindh through kidnapping of councillors and direct indulgence of some ministers and government functionaries.
Speaking at a press conference here at the assembly building, the PPP leaders termed the recent elections as farce.
Sindh PPP chief Nisar Khuhro said that local body elections were not transparent, and cited statements of pro-establishment candidates who, he claimed, had filed nominations to win.
He also accused the Senate chairman and a federal minister from Dadu of interfering with the electoral process. In this context, he accused federal minister Liaquat Jatoi and his brothers several times for allegedly manipulating elections in Dadu district through his special government functionaries.
He also mentioned the name of DPO Akbar Bhangwar and DPO (investigation) Tipu Sultan who happens to be a relative of the federal minister.
He alleged that the government functionaries had, so far, kidnapped over 35 councillors in Dadu district where he claimed that candidate who enjoyed support of his party had bagged 754 votes as compared to 739 bagged by the government supported candidate.
He said a petition had been filed in the Sindh High Court in connection with the election manipulation and demanded that abducted councillors be immediately released if at all the government wanted to make the run-off elections on May 28 transparent.
He also appealed to the chief election commissioner to take suo motu notice of the developments and transfer the two officials involved in the alleged manipulations by the government in Dadu district.
Former chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah who hails from Khairpur, said the story was not different in his area also.
He accused the provincial irrigation minister of manipulating elections and getting 130 councillors abducted through DPO Fateh Sher. He alleged that interference by government functionaries had undermined the devolution plan.
He said the election was a farce and joined the provincial chief in demanding punitive action against government functionaries and said the matter should also be brought to the notice of international organizations.
Deputy secretary general of the PPP senator Raza Rabbani said that some ministers and government functionaries had played a key role in making these elections a farce.
He demanded that the CEC should take a suo motu notice of the alleged excesses by some federal and provincial ministers.
MPA Sharfunnisa Leghari alleged that her house was raided and two councillors were taken away by the police and in Johi five more people were kidnapped.
