UMERKOT: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA Lal Malhi who led a demonstration here on Friday against returning officers, accused election officials of playing in the hands of PPP by bestowing undue favours on ruling party’s candidates for upcoming local government election.

Mr Malhi said while speaking to PTI activists who held a demonstration at Teen Talwar roundabout that it was a glaring proof of pre-poll rigging by the PPP.

As the protest was under way a police mobile van hit a demonstrator identified as Somoon Bheel when the van driver tried to force through the crowd. It enraged the protesters who responded by pelting the van with stones.

Later, Mr Malhi accompanied by the protesters and local party leaders and prospective candidates for LG polls visited the RO offices to submit their complaints to RO Teekam Herchandani.

Following their visit the RO registered an FIR at city police station against Mr Malhi, other PTI leaders and 200 party activists, accusing them of ransacking the RO office. Mr Malhi rejected the allegation.

Sources in the RO office confirmed Mr Herchandani and PTI leaders did exchange hot words but the activists did nothing that could be termed ‘ransacking’.

Mr Malhi said that footages of their visit of the RO office were proof enough to reject the RO’s claim. He and his workers had just tried to convey their reservations to the official, he said.

He said that police, ROs and administration were working like henchmen of local PPP leadership. False cases were being registered against them and nomination forms of candidates associated with parties other than PPP were being rejected without any legal ground or pretext, he said.

He said that it appeared the PPP did not want to contest against PTI candidates and expressed the fear the party had planned to rig the polls well before balloting.

In a move that could be termed nothing but pre-poll rigging, first the party deployed its favourite ROs, secondly their candidates would have polling locations of their choice where they might get their favourite polling staff posted to defeat rivals through large-scale rigging, he said.

PPP MNAs Nawab Yusuf Talpur and Mir Munawar Talpur and MPA Syed Sardar Ali Shah lashed out at Mr Malhi at a press conference.

Nawab Yusuf said that politicians should fight through political methods and not use goondas against their rivals. He hoped the Election Commission of Pakistan would take notice of Mr Malhi’s conduct and disqualify him. Otherwise, they would assume the ECP was a party to PPP opponents.

He said that some parties were trying to keep the ECP under pressure. PPP was the only secular party which ensured protection to minorities.

In Tharparkar, Muslims and Hindus had been living side by side in peace like brothers and whenever there was any dispute between them they resolved it amicably, he said.

MPA Syed Sardar Shah said that it was against the ECP’s code of conduct to attack RO office and put pressure on election staff.

According to law, if anybody had any reservations he or she should knock the doors of court, he said.

He said that Mr Malhi had always tried to destroy peace of the district and asked Imran Khan why he had kept such a violent person in his ranks.

Meanwhile, traffic sergeant Iqbal Mangrio lodged an FIR against six PTI activists Faiz Ali Palli, Abdul Qadir Palli, Niaz Palli and three unidentified men accusing them of damaging the police mobile van and creating hindrance to performance of duty.

Published in Dawn October 3rd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play