February 20, 2008	Wednesday	Safar 12, 1429

HYDERABAD, Feb 19: A large number of activists belonging to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) staged separate protest demonstrations outside the press club on Monday against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

The PPP activists were led by the district senior vice president of the party, Amanullah Siyal, who was detained for about two hours at city police station.

Mr Siyal told Dawn that on behalf of the party, that he was the chief polling agent for party candidates for NA-220 and PS-45 and PS-46 Hyderabad city.

He alleged that he was picked up by city police from St: Bonaventure High School polling station and detained for two hours. He said that he was set free when the party activists protested outside the police station.

Siyal and PPP candidate for PS-46, Syed Fayaz Shah said that MQM had taken over physical control of all the polling stations and thrown out their agents. They said that nazim of UC-9 was involved in rigging at the female polling station of government boys high school Risala road.

PML-N candidate for PS-45, Hanif Siddiqui city and PS-49 Latifabad, Sami Sajid along with party activists, also staged a protest demonstration against the alleged rigging by MQM.

They raised slogans against the DRO and police and said that elections were a farce. They said that they would not accept election result.

PML-N candidate for NA-220, Mr Shabbir Ansari told Dawn that MQM had taken over the control of all the polling stations. He complained that a large number of male MQM activists had entered into the female polling station and were themselves stamping the ballot papers.

He said the Election Commission had miserably failed to hold free and fair elections.