February 19, 2008	Tuesday	Safar 11, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 18: Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Farooq Sattar, who is contesting election on a national assembly seat (NA-249), has blamed the Pakistan People’s Party of massive rigging in 33 polling stations of his constituency.

Speaking at a hurriedly-called press conference here on Monday evening, he also blamed personnel of Rangers for slowing down the pace of voting in the MQM-dominated polling stations in the NA-249 constituency comprising old city areas.

He said that he had written letters to the authorities concerned, including President Pervez Musharraf and Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Qazi Mohammed Farooq on Feb 9 and 15 respectively, pointing out his reservation on 33 polling stations but no action was taken.

He alleged that ‘armed terrorists’ of the PPP forcibly evicted his polling agents from 33 polling stations situated in Lyari Town’s union councils no 1, 9 and 11 as the polling process started in the morning.

They made the polling staff hostage and snatched ballot papers from their possession, he added.

Dr Sattar said that his two polling agents were kidnapped while Rangers arrested his 18 polling agents from Fatima Jinnah College.

He said that the Rangers played a controversial role in his constituency and he was unable to comprehend as to why they were doing so.