18 August 2004	Wednesday	01 Rajab 1425

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KARACHI, Aug 17: The Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians on Tuesday hit hard at the government over the killing of three of its activists in NA-59, Attock , and harassing its parliamentarians and preventing them from entering the NA-229 (Tharparkar) to act as polling agents in Wednesday's by-polls.

Speaking at a news conference at the Bilawal House, deputy secretary general of the PPP and its parliamentary leader in the Senate, Mian Raza Rabbani, alleged that a number of MNAs and MPAs, who were designated to act as polling agents of the PPP candidate in NA-229 were holed up at Mirpurkhas police station and they were not being allowed to leave for Mitthi.

He termed it blatant pre-poll rigging by the Sindh government and also criticized the attitude of the Election Commission for not taking concrete steps against such practices despite lodging of 25 complaints about the 'rigging' by the party.

Mr Rabbani said that the former chief ministers of Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Aftab Shahbaan Mirani were harassed and detained at many places, while they were visiting the NA-229 constituency.

People were also feeling harassed because many armed men, believed to be police personnel, were seen roaming about in civilian dress in the constituency. Mr Rabbani also claimed that the authorities had 'spotted' about 20 presiding officers in NA-229 to manipulate the vote count.

He suspected that some of them might be taken to other places for tampering with the vote count. He urged the EC to ensure that all the presiding officers reach their destinations directly after the completion of voting.

He also alleged that the authorities also detained opposition leader in Sindh assembly Nisar Khuhro for more than two hours, as he was proceeding to Mitthi and withdrew his government-deputed armed guards.

He claimed that the PPP's elected representatives were illegally barred from entering the constituency. In this context he cited Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim's statement in which he had stated that no outsider would be allowed to enter the constituency.

PPP MNA Manzoor Wassan, who was also in Mirpurkhas confirmed Nawab Wassan's arrest and said that TPO, Mirpurkhas, Mr Nizamani, and DPO Altaf Bhatti had arrested Mr Wassan on charges of keeping weapons.

Mr Rabbani said that the PPP MPAs Irfan Ali Shah, Jam Mehtab, Murad Ali Shah, Farheen Mughal, Ishwardas, Mujadad Iran were also holed up in the police station without any specific charges.

The purpose of the authorities was to prevent them from reaching their destinations before the polling started, alleged Mr Rabbani. He also claimed that MPA Sassi Palejo was stopped at Wago Kaloi Rangers' check-post.

While Nisar Khuhro was on his way to Mitthi a DSP stopped his car to prevent him from proceeding towards his destination, Mr Rabbani said. However, after about two hours the TPO withdrew the official gunman of the leader of the opposition, although many ministers and other officials were moving along with their gunmen, he added.