February 20, 2008	Wednesday	Safar 12, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 19: Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-N candidates have claimed the Feb 18 elections were rigged on a massive scale and the results started changing overnight to declare them defeated in the city.

PPP candidate from NA-250 Mirza Ikhtiar Baig and PML-N candidate from NA-251 Mushahidullah Khan, who were flanked by Najmi Alam and Saleem Zia, candidates of the PPP and PML-N from PS-112 and 113 respectively, addressed a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday. They alleged that armed men belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement pushed out their agents from the polling stations and stuffed ballot boxes after stamping them.They claimed that the centre of the rigging was the Governor’s House, from where the results were changed overnight. “We have informed the administration and the Election Commission authorities, but they have failed to respond,” they added.

Demanding re-election on the mentioned constituencies by declaring the results null and void, they said that even before polling day, their workers were being harassed and on election day, muscle power was demonstrated. They said they had the evidence of rigging and they would take up the issue in court.

Salim Zia, in a statement, refused to accept the outcome of the PS-113 election and said that after 4pm, PNT Colony, Delhi Colony, Bizerta Line, Doli Khata and Minwala School polling stations were taken over by armed men, while the agents of other candidates were taken hostage. After snatching the ballot papers from the polling staff, the ballot boxes were stuffed by stamping them in favour of MQM candidate Askari Taqvi, he added.

He pointed out that in the 2002 elections, the MQM candidate for the National Assembly had bagged only 9,000 votes, but in the 2008 elections, the MQM candidate from the PS seat secured 25,000 votes. “This was only possible through terrorism,” he added.

Mr Zia, who is acting president of the PML-N in Sindh, demanded that as the verdict of the people of Karachi was changed through Kalashnikov culture, fresh polls should be called in the city.

PML-N candidate from NA-239 Hafeezuddin rejected the results and demanded from the chief election commissioner to hold re-election in Karachi under the supervision of the army.

Former Sindh governor Mamnoon Hussain said that the Feb 18 elections were neither free, fair nor transparent. PS-89, 112 and 115 candidates Mushtaq Ahmad Godhra, Zaigham Alam and Mehfooz-un-Nabi, respectively, who were also present, endorsed the demand.