August 17, 2006	Thursday	Rajab 21, 1427

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LAHORE, Aug 16: Azad Kashmir People’s Muslim League president Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry has demanded fresh elections in Azad Kashmir and constitution of the Kashmir Council after abolition of the Kashmir Affairs Ministry.

Addressing a news conference at the Lahore Press Club here on Wednesday, the former AJK prime minister said he and Khalid Ibrahim had not taken oath as Kashmir Assembly members because investigations conducted by a committee constituted by his party had revealed large scale rigging in elections.

He said that Gen Pervez Musharraf talked about giving autonomy to Kashmir but elections had been rigged there contrary to his claim.

Barrister Chaudhry said that investigations had revealed that union council nazims in Shakargarh and Narowal cast bogus votes and threatened withholding of funds in case votes were not cast for Muslim Conference candidates.

Investigations, he claimed, had further given out that a corrupt mafia had been helped in winning elections in Azad Kashmir for devouring billions of dollars available for the reconstruction in earthquake-hit areas and Mangla Dam.

He said that abolition of the Kashmir Affairs Ministry was necessary because it was creating misunderstandings between Pakistan and Kashmir.

The general elections in Pakistan would also be rigged because the experiments conducted in Azad Kashmir elections would be repeated there as well, he said.