December 14, 2007	Friday	Zilhaj 3, 1428

JACOBABAD, Dec 13: Former National Assembly speaker and veteran politician Illahi Bux Soomro on Thursday accused Ms Maleeha Malik and Fahad, sisters of caretaker prime minister Mohammadmian Soomro, of using state machinery against him in their election campaign.

He alleged at a press conference here that the DCO was in cahoots with the sisters. The caretakers were engaged in pre-poll rigging he said, adding, that he had faxed complaints to the Chief Election Commissioner about their malpractices.He stressed that the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) would not have any seat adjustments with Pakistan People’s Party because the two parties were poles apart from each other.

He admitted there were differences within family as the caretaker prime minister was his nephew but accused former DCO Shamsuddin Soomro of fuelling them.

He said that police put a candidate of his group for PS-15, Aziz Abro, behind bars under MPO, which was not applicable in his case.

ASADULLAH BHUTTO: Ameer of Sindh chapter of Jamaat-i-Islami Maulana Asadullah Bhutto said on Thursday that the Jan 8 elections, which had been imposed upon people, would be massively rigged.

He questioned why PPP and PML-N were taking part in the elections despite voicing reservations about their transparency. First all the parties had consented to boycott but then they broke their promise except Jamaat, Tehrik-i-Insaf and PONM.

He said that the internal and external policies of Musharraf had isolated the country and urged people not to cast votes in the fake elections.

He challenged the legitimacy of caretaker set-up in, which the close relatives of prime minister and Sindh governor were also taking part.

He praised lawyers and journalists for refusing to bow to dictatorship and said that there was dissent even within PML-Q because Zafarullah Jamali, too, was not contesting the elections.

NISAR KHUHRO: Former leader of opposition in Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on Thursday ruled out possibility of seat adjustments with Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) and said the party’s doors were open for all but the PML-Q.

He said at a gathering that PML-Q was running election campaign under police guard as a precaution to avoid stones and beating by people.

He questioned legality of protocol for the former ministers and chief minister and added that the party would contest elections as a challenge as they had very little time to campaign.

Khuhro said that the credit for Musharraf’s doffing uniform and elections went to the PPP. Boycott would have given open field to PML-Q, he said.