RAWALPINDI, Sept 10: The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-i-Azam (PML-Q) here on Tuesday rejected the charges of pre-poll rigging raised by opposition parties as baseless and unfounded.

A team of European Union (EU) observers led by John Cushnahan met the PML-Q leaders and discussed issues related to the forthcoming general elections with particular reference to the allegations of pre-poll rigging and PML-Q being the King’s party.

While speaking at a press conference after the meeting, the PML-Q vice president, Kabir Ali Wasti, said opposition parties started levelling rigging charges because they were overawed by the strong candidates fielded by the PML-Q.

He said the EU had been told that the PML-Q would sweep the forthcoming general elections.

Talking about the removal of Benazir Bhutto from the electoral race, Mr Wasti said: “She was disqualified for being a convict.”

He said the EU delegation was apprised that the chief of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, Imran Khan, had been striving for the past three years to pose as a “President’s Man” but after failing to do so, Mr Khan started creating confusion.

The vice president said Imran Khan claimed that he had suggested many amendments in the election laws to the President Gen Pervez Musharraf, which were later enacted by the government.

Talking about the withdrawal of Nawaz Sharif from the elections in protest against the disqualification of Benazir Bhutto, Mr Wasti said: “The delegation was told that Mr Sharif dramatized the situation and the ground reality remains that he cannot return according to the deal under which he was sent to Saudi Arabia.”

The EU observers were told that after gaining the support of the US president, Gen Musharraf has nothing to fear from any political party, the PML-Q leader added.

APP ADDS: The vice president expressed his full confidence that election will be free and fair.