June 27, 2007	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 11, 1428

LARKANA, June 26: The government had deliberately left out of new voters’ lists the names of 95,000 voters in the areas in NA-207, which formed the constituency of Ms Benazir Bhutto, chairperson of People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP), in an apparent attempt to influence results in the upcoming elections, PPP leaders claimed on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference here, the president of the Larkana chapter of PPP, Ayaz Soomro, and Khursheed Junejo, former district nazim and in-charge of Ms Bhutto's constituency, termed it a well planned move to harm the party leadership and described the shortfall as ‘missing votes'.

Ms Bhutto’s constituency stretched over Ratodero, Mirokhan, Sujawal Junejo, Shahdadkot and certain areas of Qubo Saeed Khan, they said. In Pir Bakhsh Bhutto, Kot Illahi Bakhsh, Usman Unnar, Noorpur, Ketti Mumtaz and Phulpota, the areas under the influence of Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, the new lists showed an increase of 2,110 new voters, they said.

Detailing errors in the new lists they said that 178 voters in Bugti village situated on the outskirts of Larkana were also registered in Deh Khanwah of Ratodero town and 102 voters of Kusar Mills, a part of Larkana taluka council, were listed in another union council of Ratodero.

The voters’ lists of Deh Warisdino Machhhi had 275 minorities’ voters despite the fact that no family belonging to minorities resided in the area, they said.

The number of voters registered in Deh Kodrani of union council Warisdino Mashi was double its population, they said, adding that the errors formed just the tip of iceberg.

The 2002 lists had 522,413 eligible voters while the fresh lists showed only 341,014 voters thereby showing a difference of 181,372 voters in the district, they said.

The fresh lists contained 30,310 less number of voters in Ratodero, 33,135 in Larkana, 51,883 in Larkana city, 34,636 in Bakrani taluka and 31,408 in Dokri taluka, they said.