PESHAWAR, May 1: An independent candidate from tribal constituency NA-47, Abidur Rehman, on Wednesday alleged that the political administration of FR Kohat and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) staff had set up polling stations as per the wishes of former provincial minister Sher Azam Wazir, while all other candidates were opposed to the move.

Speaking at ‘Meet the Press’ programme of Peshawar Press Club, Mr Rehman said the administration and ECP should prove neutrality and assign duties to impartial officials. He said that presently the officials were openly supporting Mr Wazir of Pakistan People’s Party in NA-47.

He said that FR Kohat administration had recently revised polling staff list, which was much different from the original one. He alleged that Mr Wazir was also backed by the local ECP staff, which was tantamount to pre-poll rigging.

The candidate said that the polling staff included in the revised lists – and assigned duties for the elections day in NA-47 – was serving in private schools of Bannu and D.I. Khan instead of Kohat. In this situation, he said, all the other candidates could not expect fair and impartial elections on May 11.

He demanded replacement of election staff and officials of political administration in FR Kohat to ensure impartial elections.

He alleged that under the pre-poll rigging plan a large number of voters belonging to Kohat had been registered in Peshawar and other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He claimed that this could deprive over 6,500 registered voters from their right to vote.

Flanked by former MNA Nasim Afridi, he maintained that the district returning office had also been shifted from FR Kohat to FR Bannu a month ago.

The local people protested against this decision, but the government did not take any notice in this regard. “We have informed the ECP about all these matters through a letter, but to no avail,” Mr Rehman said and added that independent candidate Baz Gul had also filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court against the rigging attempts in NA-47.

He demanded of the chief election commissioner to take immediate notice of the pre-poll rigging in NA-47. He asked the ECP to replace the additional secretary election commission, Bannu, with an impartial one.

Nasim Afridi said that fair and transparent election would not be possible in NA-47 under the present pre-poll rigging programme.