SUKKUR, May 5: Alliance for Restoration of Democracy chief Makhdoom Amin Fahim has alleged that large-scale transfers and postings throughout the province are being made to rig the local bodies’ elections. He was talking to journalists at Sukkur airport on Thursday.

Earlier, he said the Sindh government created more districts by including areas of choice of favourites in certain cities and now it was talking about posting of DCOs as administrators by replacing nazims for the local bodies’ polls. He said the situation was confusing because according to the National Reconstruction Bureau, nazims could not be replaced.

Mr Fahim said ARD leaders were going to Dera Bugti to condole the deaths of people who had died during the army action in the area. He said the leaders would also meet Nawab Akbar Bugti to know the progress of talks with the parliamentary committee on Balochistan and whether Sardars of Balochistan were satisfied with what had been done so far or not.

When asked why did the ARD not contact Mr Bugti before, he said the alliance leaders wanted to personally meet him and discuss the issue as the telephone exchange of Dera Bugti had been burnt, disrupting the communication system, and there were controversial reports.

About differences between the People’s Party Parliamentarians and the Pakistan Muslim League-N, he said the PPP had started talks with the government after taking the PML-N into confidence. He said there had been some misunderstandings which had now been removed.

Referring to dialogues with the government, he said the PPP had asked the government to hold general elections in 2005 through an independent election commission. He termed parliament a rubber stamp of the president and said it had lost its importance.

The PPP leader said if the government did not accept their demand for holding election in 2005, the ARD would decide a plan of action at its next meeting.

PML-N secretary-general Zafar Iqbal Jhagra and MNA Tehmina Daultana said the Jamhoori Watan Party was a component of the ARD. They said statements of the party showed that decisions of the parliamentary committee were not being implemented and it was not satisfied with the talks. They said the ARD leaders were visiting Balochistan to know the actual situation.

Our Khairpur Correspondent adds: PML-N leaders Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, Sardar Yaqoob Nasir and Tehmina Daultana have said the Balochistan issue, law and order situation, price hike and unemployment are badly affecting the poor.

They were talking to party workers of five districts and journalists at the residence of Syed Ghaus Ali Shah here on Thursday.

They said the ARD believed that the government was not sincere to resolve the Balochistan issue.