GUJRAT: PML-Q senior leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has launched a campaign for the local body elections from his hometown Gujrat.

He warned the Election Commission of Pakistan of massive street protests if it failed to hold rigging-free elections in the first phase which is going to be held on Oct 31 in 12 districts of Punjab.

He launched the election campaign of his party candidates from union council of PP-110 (Gujrat), the constituency of his scion Moonis Elahi and asked participants to remain firm against the ruling party.

Warns ECP of massive protests in case of rigging

Later, talking to reporters at his Zahoor Elahi house here on Sunday, Mr Elahi said the ECP had been playing the role of a silent spectator as DCOs in their capacity of returning officers had actively been participating in the ruling PML-N’s pre-poll rigging.

He said that local administrations in various districts were reportedly extending support to ruling party candidates, launching new uplift schemes despite an ECP’s ban on new schemes and pressing rival candidates to withdraw in favor of PML-N candidates.

He alleged that voter lists in polling stations had also been changed as voters of opposition parties would remain busy in search of their votes from one polling station to another.

Mr Elahi said he had conveyed to the ECP secretary on telephone his party’s reservations while written complaints had also been dispatched to the authorities concerned, but the ECP had taken no action to refrain the administration from extending support to PML-N candidates.

He said the 2013 general elections, which according to him were rigged, had been conducted by additional session judges who were ROs and the rigging had subsequently become a major issue in the country.

The PML-Q leader said it would be a big question mark on the credibility and competency of the ECP if it failed to address the complaints of opposition parties regarding transparent elections.

When asked why none of his family members was contesting in the LB polls in Gujrat, Mr Elahi said that every candidate contesting on a PML-Q ticket was a member of his family and the candidate for the Gujrat district council’s slot would also be from his same family members.

Mr Elahi vowed to counter every tactic of the ruling party and that his party would remain in contest to expose the nefarious designs of rulers and those officials of the district government who were found involved in pre-poll rigging.

The Chaudhrys have been dominating in the LG politics in Gujrat since 1983 when Pervaiz Elahi started his political career by getting elected first as a union council chairman.

Subsequently, Mr Elahi had been elected twice as district council chairman in 1983 and 1987 whereas his cousin Chaudhry Shafaat Hussain, who is the youngest brother of PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, had become the district council chairman twice in 1991 and 1998. Later, he had been elected twice as district nazim of Gujrat in 2001 and 2005.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2015

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