HYDERABAD, May 12: Leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) hold re-elections in Karachi and Hyderabad in a fair and transparent way.

Speaking to reporters at the press club here on Sunday, PTI candidate for PS-45 Mohammad Usman Kennedy and leader Mustansar Billa said elections had been rigged in the two cities through a conspiracy hatched to defeat PTI candidates.

They claimed that they could win elections in the two cities of Sindh if the elections were held transparently.

They said candidate Mohammad Usman Kennedy for PS-45, who announced the boycott of the elections in the afternoon of May 11, got over 10,000 votes and could defeat the MQM candidate by around 25,000 votes.

They said rigging had started at 12noon at polling stations and authorised election agents had been denied entry to polling stations.

They alleged that before May 11, they were being harassed and their children and activists were roughed up by MQM activists, but no action was taken by the district police despite complaints.

They alleged that except for ECP chief Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, all staff of the commission were corrupt.

They rejected the results of the elections held in Karachi and Hyderabad.

‘Technical rigging’

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional candidate Mir Inayat Talpur — who lost on PS-53 (Tando Mohammad Khan) to Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Ejaz Shah Bukhari — has alleged that the PPP resorted to massive rigging in his area and demanded re-election.

Speaking at a press conference at the Hyderabad Press Club on Sunday, he said that ‘technical rigging’ had taken place in the elections. According to Mr Talpur, results were not officially given to his polling agents at eight to ten polling stations in the area. He said that around 1,000 scattered, loose and unfolded ballots which had been stamped on the arrow symbol had been filmed by PML-F activists at different polling stations.

Mr Talpur said that he secured 25,000 votes while his rival, Mr Bukhari, was able to get 36,000. He alleged that the polling staff had also been entirely partial and presiding officers appointed had been ‘close’ to the PPP, adding that the entire local administration was biased and under the control of former federal minister Syed Naveed Qamar.

He said that the assistant returning officer had not entertained his application when he had approached her while appealing to the Chief Election Commissioner and Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the matter.

Mumtaz hints at re-election

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader in Sindh Mumtaz Ali Bhutto predicted that the future PML-N government at the centre would be without the element of ‘reconciliation’ and it would surely conduct a thorough investigation into what he described as ‘large-scale rigging’ in Sindh and hold re-election.

Speaking to his party workers and polling agents in Mirpur Bhutto on Sunday, he said that officers found involved in rigging would be brought to justice.

He alleged that Election Commission machinery was involved in rigging. He said that the election commission had been kept informed in advance about the threat of rigging on PS-37 (Larkana-III), where his son Amir Bakhsh Bhutto was contesting but in vain. He related his observations from visits to polling stations in Munshi Khuda Bakhsh Phulpoto village, Masudero, Naudero hospital and Ratodero, saying that a few armed men had attacked a polling station in Phulpota and got ballot papers stamped at gunpoint.

At the Masudero polling station, he said, doors were closed for his son’s voters while pro-PPP voters were allowed to enter and cast the vote.