ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has rejected the July 25 election results, but said it will not repeat history of 1977 as it believed in continuity of the political process.

It may be recalled that after the 1977 elections, leaders of the Pakistan National Alliance had refused to take oath and started protests, which allowed General Ziaul Haq to impose martial law in the country.

“Right from delimitation to polling schemes, the election was faulty and defective. Not only pre-poll rigging was done but we also have evidence of post-poll rigging. Level playing field was not given to the PPP. Other parties have also rejected the elections and claimed that it was held to facilitate one party,” said PPP secretary general Nayyar Hussain Bukhari while addressing a press conference.

Talking about the election campaign, he said that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had been stopped by police while he was going to a shrine in Uch Sharif.

While showing results, provided by presiding officers on plain papers in NA-173, NA-174 and for a provincial assembly seat, he said not only signatures were not taken from polling agents of the PPP after the counting, but cases were also registered against its candidate and workers.

Meanwhile, PPP Karachi division’s president Saeed Ghani on Sunday claimed that the teeming metropolis election results had been stolen and his party was denied of its right to win the seats by designing well-laid plans.

“Karachi’s election results have deliberately been changed. In the past, the city had been handed to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and now it has been given to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf — though there was no wave anyone could see in favour of the PTI that somehow was visible in 2013 elections,” said Mr Ghani while addressing a press conference at the party’s media cell.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2018