KARACHI, Sept 29: The Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians has refused to meet the Chief Election Commissioner on Thursday because it considers the EC invitation as "belated".

It has been extended after the party decided to boycott the October by-election in NA-229, the PPP said, adding it was an attempt to seek legitimacy for the second by-election.

"The EC does not have sufficient ground to rollback the process now," said the party's deputy secretary-general, Mian Raza Rabbani, in a news conference. PPP Sindh chief Qaim Ali Shah and central information secretary Taj Haider were also present.

Raza Rabbani said the PPP was not afraid of the electoral process and had contested the recent bypolls despite the worst kind of provocation that was caused by the killing of four of party activists in Attock by-elections.

But now it has been pushed to the wall and forced to boycott because the government was determined to force its way and manipulate the elections, which had become very clear in the recent by-polls.

Mr Rabbani alleged that despite the party's decision to boycott the by elections, the election commission was creating confusion. He said that the election commissioner has not replied to any of the 53 complaints lodged during the previous by-polls to NA-229 in which Mr Shaukat Aziz was elected with unprecedented number of votes.

Mr Rabbani said on Sept 20 he had telephonically conveyed to the Chief Election Commissioner that he along with Syed Qaim Ali Shah and other party members wanted to see him in connection with the complaints.

The chief election commissioner, according to him, had stated that it was not the opportune moment and the matter would be politicized. The PPP was advized to send written complaints, which was done accordingly, he said, adding, after waiting for five days for the commission to take any step in this direction, the party decided to boycott the by-elections.

Mr Rabbani also released the text of a letter which the PPP Parliamentarians had written to the Chief Election Commissioner regarding the just concluded bye-elections to NA-229 Tharparkar, about which the PPPP Parliamentarians had addressed over 50 letters pointing out the alleged irregularities.

The PPP leader also said that complaints that 17 polling stations had been changed in NA-229 Tharparkar, without notice to the candidate of the PPPP, the EC took no notice of that. It was pointed out that the PPPP in the last general elections by and large won at the said polling stations.

Provincial chief of the PPPP Syed Qaim Ali Shah said the manner in which the EC had kept quiet on its complaints represents that the commission does not exist because the Sindh chief minister had taken over its job and was misusing his authority.

Accusing the government of brute use of force during the bye- elections, Mr Shah said that most of the PPP leaders were searched and detained at many places to harass voters.

He alleged that the Election Commission flouted the law according to which no minister could contest elections without resigning his post. He also accused the election commission of failing to take confidence building measures.

He said that the government was announcing different relief packages in the middle of the electoral process to subvert the will of the people. He also accused the government of instituting fake cases against the party leaders and activists.

Syed Qaim Ali Shah said the situation in Thar was worst than martial law and the ruling party's attitude reflect its lack of interest in the democratic dispensation. He said that Election Commission had totally failed to control what he termed the worst kind of rigging.