PESHAWAR: The tripartite alliance of Awami National Party, Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam-Fazl and Pakistan Peoples Party has announced to boycott the nazim and naib nazim elections in the district and three towns of Peshawar, which have been scheduled to be held on Sunday (today).

However, it will not boycott such elections in Town-4 of Peshawar and some other districts where the alliance had sufficient number of councillors to form governments.

This was stated by JUI-F leader Senator Haji Ghulam Ali while speaking at an emergency press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Saturday. He was accompanied by JUI-F district Peshawar chief Maulana Khairul Bashar and ANP’s Sartaj Khan and Safdar Baghi. However, PPP’s representatives were not present on the occasion.

Senator Ali said that the alliance had decided not to contest the elections of district and three of the four towns in Peshawar district, saying that the process was in violation of the elections rules. He said that the provincial government was conducting elections of the district and town nazims, but it did not give sufficient time to the rest of parties for running campaign for their candidates.

Senator Ghulam Ali claims completing entire election process in one day illegal

“The councillors took oath today (Saturday) and there will be elections for the district and town nazims tomorrow (Sunday), which is wrong,” he said. He continued that the successful candidates had not been intimated about the oath-taking and elections of the district and town nazims and the oath was arranged on a public holiday so that the opposition could not move the court against it.

The JUI-F Senator alleged that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had planned ‘an organised rigging’, but the tripartite alliance would move the Peshawar High Court against the elections. He also rejected the Local Government Act 2015, saying that it was worse than the martial law.

The legislation, he said, was made in haste and it was aimed at grabbing the powers and suppressing the opposition parties. He said that the procedure adopted by the PTI-led government for the LG elections was unacceptable and termed it illegal and illogical.

The senator said that leaders of the tripartite alliance in its meeting on Friday had described the recent LG elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as rigged and mismanaged, and as such the LGs could not be called the democratic bodies.

Mr Ali alleged that holding of district and town nazims elections on Sunday had raised a big question mark on their transparency. “How it would be possible to hold elections simultaneously for over 130 district and town nazims within 24 hours,” he asked.

“In our opinion, the provincial government is bound to announce schedule for submission and withdrawal of nomination papers and for elections,” he said and added that the KP government was holding elections in one day, which was illegal and unconstitutional.

He rejected the traditions wherein an additional deputy commissioner (ADC) administered the oath to district councillors in the presence of the district returning officer, saying that it was not clear if the district administration or district government would have dominant role in the future setup.

Mr Ali claimed that the tripartite alliance was in a position to form governments in several districts like Mardan, Swabi, Lakki Marwat and Bannu.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2015

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