GWADAR: A large number of women held a sit-in in front of the offices of District Election Commissioner on Friday in protest against alleged rigging in the by-election held for PB-50 Turbat-3 on Thursday.

The protesters said that Akram Dashti, a former speaker of the Balochistan Assembly and National Party candidate, had won the election according to the unofficial result, but later PML-N candidate Akbar Askani stuffed ballot boxes with bogus votes and claimed victory.

They women chanted slogans against the election commission and alleged that it wanted to declare Mr Askani winner. The women refused to call off the protest.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the National Party, Mir Jan Muhammad Buledi, alleged that efforts were under way to declare the PML-N candidate winner. He claimed that according to unofficial results issued late on Thursday night Mr Dashti had won the by-poll.

He said that NP would strongly react if results were manipulated. He also criticised the role of security forces and asked them to remain impartial.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2016