ISLAMABAD, Aug 6: Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim here on Saturday accused the government of committing “transparent rigging” prior to the forthcoming local bodies elections by blatantly trampling the election commission’s code of conduct.

He was speaking at a press conference here at the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) media office here on Saturday.

He said the local bodies elections were just the follow up of the rigged general elections the government had held in 2002 and presidential referendum of 2002. He said the government was just wasting the precious money of a poor nation on engineered elections and it would be better not to hold the elections at all if the government wanted to see results as it wanted.

In reply to a question, he said the PPP and all the member parties of ARD could make adjustments with other parties at the UC level, as they were free to form their own strategies and election campaigns. He said the boycott of the election was not on the agenda of the all parties conference which would be held soon because, the ARD would contest in any circumstances and would not give the government any free hand.

He alleged that Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim had resorted to political victimization of those who had filed their nomination papers against his party’s candidates in various districts.

He alleged that Mr Rahim even threatened a Patwari that he would be sacked if the latter did not force one of his relatives to withdraw his nomination papers against a government-backed candidate.

“The administration of Hala district has registered an FIR against my brother, Rafiquz Zaman, for chanting slogans of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Zinda Bad and Benazir Bhutto Zinda Bad”, Mr Fahim said.

To a question, Mr Fahim said district police officers (DPOs) and district coordination officers (DCOs) were used by the chief minister to harass the opposition and take them into illegal confinement. He said the PPP and other parties of the ARD had time and again informed the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of the blatant violations of the elections code of conduct in various parts.

He said hundreds of DPOs and SHOs had been transferred all over the provinces after the announcement of the election schedules on June 30.

In Saeedabad UC, Ameer Haider Shah, Awam Dost candidate for the slot of Nazim was kidnapped by the DPO Mohammad Rahim Khoso on July 29, Mr Fahim said. An application was moved before the district judge Matiari, who recovered Mr Ameer from the police station.

However, during illegal confinement, Ameer was severely tortured and pressurized to withdraw the nomination papers, he alleged.

In another instance, he said, Awam Dost, Naib Nazim, candidate for UC Bhaley Dino Kaka, Abdul Rauf Kaka, was arrested along with his five relatives on the charges if irrigation water theft on July 27.

They were pressured to retreat in favour of the government-backed candidate.

Nazeer Rahu, Raees Ali Ahmed Nizamani, Nazan Saeen, were kidnapped by DPO Matiari, Arbab Mahar, and taken to the CM House, where they were forced to join PML-Q, the ARD leader alleged.

In the UC Bao Khan Pathan, candidates for councillor, Ghulam Rabbani, Kamal Palijo, Mamoo Narejo, Jado Jiskani and Vikio Brohi were arrested by DPO Matiari and SHO Matiari, Haq Nawaz, the PPP vice-chairman alleged.

He said the CM himself had telephoned District Food Controller Sibghatullah Ansari and threatened him to get his son withdrawn from the candidacy of Nazim for UC-2, Hala.

Assistant Mukhtiar-e-Kar Faheem Memon also received a similar telephone call from the chief minister in which the former was threatened of firing from his job in case he failed to get his brother withdraw his name from the candidacy of Nazim of another UC in Hala.

“A custom official, Anwar Arbab, was directed by the chief minister to ask his brother, a candidate for the Nazim of UC-1, to withdraw his name otherwise he would be dismissed from his service”, Mr Fahim said.