DADU: Accusing Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Rafique Ahmed Jamali of getting six rival candidates kidnapped to prevent them from filing their nomination papers for union council seats, former Sindh chief minister and MPA Liaquat Ali Jatoi has called for ensuring the entire local government election process under the supervision of the army and paramilitary force.

Speaking at a press conference at his residence in Betto Jatoi village of Mehar taluka on Saturday, Mr Jatoi alleged that Mr Jamali got the six Awami Ittehad (AI) candidates seeking to take part in the election for Dadu and Jamshoro union councils. They were held hostage to prevent them from filing their nomination papers, he added.

Accompanied by former Senator Sadaqat Ali and former Dadu district nazim Karim Ali Jatoi, he also alleged that Mehar mukhtiarkar Kazi Mushtaque had “stolen” many PPP rival candidates’ documents attached with their respective nomination papers in order to get them disqualified.

Liaquat Jatoi said that the PPP had won the 2008 and 2013 elections by resorting to similar rigging tricks. “This time, corrupt officers of the education department wanted by the National Accountability Bureau in different cases have been appointed the returning officers and their assistants,” he claimed, and added that such officers were working for the PPP-backed candidates. He also alleged that PPP MNAs and MPAs were using their influence on officials across Sindh to ensure results of their choice.

Mr Jatoi hinted that an electoral alliance mainly featuring Mumtaz Bhutto, Ayaz Latif Palijo, Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah and Dr Qadir Magsi was in the offing. They said no PPP MNA or MPA was using his influence or the police in the election process. They said the chairmen and vice chairmen of eight union councils were declared elected unopposed because no one had come forward to contest the slots.

At another press conference held at the local press club, AI general secretary Syed Zafar Shah, along with other office-bearers, accused Dadu Deputy Commissioner Sardar Jamali of supporting PPP candidates and demanded his removal.

Mr Shah complained that PPP-backed candidates were displaying their weapons to harass their opponents in violation of the code of conduct. He also criticised returning officers for rejecting AI candidates’ nomination papers without any valid reasons, and appealed to the Chief Election Commissioner to take notice of such unfair acts.

Reacting to the AI leaders’ allegations, MNA Rafique Ahmed Jamali and MPAs Pir Mujeebul Haq and Syed Ghulam Shah Jilani called a press conference at Dadu Press Club and described them as “lies”.

They insisted that the election process in Dadu was free, fair and transparent. They predicted that the PPP would sweep the polls as Dadu had always remained a stronghold of the party.

Published in Dawn October 4th, 2015

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