PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party has urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure impartiality in the election and remove all the large size banners and billboards installed by candidates of different political parties at different prominent spots on main roads within 48 hours otherwise the PPP workers will themselves remove the boards.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Saturday, party’s former provincial president Syed Zahir Ali Shah said that all the candidates were bound to follow the code of conduct announced by the ECP and those found violating the rules should be disqualified.

“We demand of the ECP to prove that it is impartial and will ensure transparency otherwise the political parties will be left with the only option to raise voice against it,” he warned and expressed the hope that the caretaker setup would also fulfil its constitutional responsibilities impartially.

Zahir Shah asks ECP to disqualify those violating election rules

On this occasion, Irfanullah Shah of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf announced joining PPP. He will contest election from NA-31, Peshawar, on the PPP ticket. Candidate for PK-76 Ziaullah Afridi and PK-77 Zulfiqar Afghani were also present.

Zahir Shah criticised the PTI leadership for awarding tickets to turncoats, saying that Imran Khan had always claimed to select honest people, but took another U-turn by nominating corrupt people as candidates for the national and provincial assemblies.

He said that during its rule PTI ruined the historical city of Peshawar on the pretext of ‘change’. He alleged that most of the PTI leaders and former ministers were involved in corruption. He dispelled the impression of any election alliance with Awami National Party, saying that the previous experience in coalition with the party was very harsh and his party would not repeat the blunder.

“ANP should stop raising the slogan of ‘Bacha Khani Pakar Da’ as it will hurt the soul of late Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Bacha Khan),” he said.

The PPP leader said that ANP candidate Ghulam Ahmed Bilour should admit that he had failed to serve the people of Peshawar and avoid contesting the coming election.

Earlier, Mr Afghani said that Asif Ali Zardari had accepted every demand of ANP chief Asfandyar Wali and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman during the previous PPP government, but they still fielded their candidates against Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on NA-8, Malakand.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2018