January 25, 2008	Friday	Muharram 15, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Jan 24: The Pakistan Muslim League-Q has refuted Pakistan Peoples Party’s allegations of pre-poll rigging and has accused the PPP of “working out a comprehensive rigging plan in interior Sindh and parts of Punjab”.

“Under the plan, the PPP candidates have distributed weapons among fugitives, criminals and outlaws to capture polling booths during polling while organised groups have been deputed to harass rivals’ polling agents,” central vice president of the PML-Q and former information minister Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani said while talking to reporters here on Thursday.

He alleged that the PPP gunmen were threatening the candidates and workers of the PML-Q and its allied parties in an attempt to disrupt their canvassing campaign.

“Under an aggressive posture, the weapon-toting outlaws backed by PPP candidates, are torching banners, hoardings, posters and election offices of candidates of the PML-Q and allied parties.

“The recent arrest of a brother of PPP candidate in Lahore with firearms at a public place reflects the gravity of the situation. They have gone to an extent that an election office of PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has been set on fire at Sambrial in Sialkot,” Mr Durrani said.

Senator Durrani said that its central election cell was receiving complaints from candidates of the PML-Q and allied parties from across the country that PPP candidates were hurling threats.