KARACHI, May 24: Justifying the political parties' demand for resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and other officials for their alleged partisan role in the recent by elections in the city , central vice president of the PML(N) Mian Ejaz Shafi has asked the election commission to provide him relevant date and sufficient time for personal appearance.

Responding to a notice served by the Section Officer (Law) of the Election Commission, Mian Ejaz Shafi, who was a candidate in the byelections for the NA-240 cited alleged irregularities and demanded that resignation from officials responsible for letting loose the rein of terror on the day of elections be obtained, as a first step.

In a letter addressed to the concerned official, Mian Ejaz Shafi emphasised that during the byelections while 11 citizen were "butchard and killed", PML(N) workers and voters in large numbers were arrested two days before the polling date.

He claimed that on the day of polling "there was no law nor was there any order" in NA-240 as well as in other parts of the metropolis. He alleged that "miscreants occupied the polling stations/booths and freely stuffed the ballot boxes with bogus votes". He also alleged that the staff at these places was made hostage and it was a "fee for all" to take advantage of the situation.

The PML(N) central vice president claimed that in spite of a low turn-out , the projected results showed that more votes were cast in byelections when compared with the votes cast during the Oct 12, 2002, general elections. He claimed that it established the charge of alleged bogus voting and stuffing of ballot boxes.

Objecting to transfers and postings despite a ban, Mian Ejaz Shafi claimed that the returning officer did not provide certified copies of the election results and votes cast at different polling stations, thus making it difficult for to establish proof with the stuffing of the ballot boxes, negligible turnout at majority of the polling stations.

He alleged that above 80 per cent votes were shown polled at the "controlled" polling stations. He also objected to the inquiry being held at Islamabad although the death toll, breakdown of law and order, alleged rigging and bogus voting took place at Karachi. He demanded that the same should be done at Karachi.