PESHAWAR: Casting further doubts on the transparency and fairness of the May 30 local government elections in the province, Senior Provincial Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai has termed the polls in his native Swabi district massively rigged.

In an unprecedented move, he demanded of Election Commission of Pakistan to declare the Saturday’s elections null and void and hold re-polling in the supervision of army.

Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, the senior minister alleged that supporters of Awami National Party were involved in rigging. The desperate looking senior minister threatened to stage protest if he was not provided with ‘justice’.

Contrary to his government’s repeated claims about bringing improvement in police department, Mr Tarakai held police and deputy commissioners, who were performing as district returning officers, responsible for poll rigging and mismanagement in the election process.

Visibly perturbed over the defeat of his party, Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan, candidates, the senior minister said: “What should I do? Where should I go? It is very strange situation for me.”

The performance of police was very disappointing on the polling day, Mr Tarakai said, adding that police and returning officers were supporting the candidates of ANP.

The senior minister and his supporters had also brought the ballot papers and stamps which were shown to journalists. Pointing to the ballot papers and stamps, Mr Tarakai said that the election material was collected from the streets in Swabi. “Who threw this material,” he questioned. The election material should be in the possession of the election staff instead of lying around in the streets, he added.

“We have pictures and video clips of rigging,” the senior minister claimed. He said that his party would not allow formation of district council because all its members were been elected through rigged elections.

It was very strange that all political parties dubbed the local government elections Senior minister terms Swabi election massively rigged unfair and mismanaged, he said.

Mr Tarakai said that women voters in most of the polling stations were not allowed to cast their votes on different pretext. In one polling station, he said, the registered women voters were 1,150 but only eight votes were polled there. Similarly, in another polling station, the registered women voters were 800 but only 14 votes were polled, he said.

The senior minister said that women voters were misbehaved inside the polling stations. “If the unfriendly situation persists in future, then women should not come out of their homes for casting votes,” he said.

At the end of the press conference, Mr Tarakai said that the provincial government was not involved in the rigging. He declined to comments when he was asked that the leadership of Jamaat-i-Islami, a partner in the provincial government, alleged on Monday that the elections were rigged through Chief Minister House.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015

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