KARACHI: The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) has rejected the election results and advised the chief election commissioner to resign. It also decided to stage protest rallies across the province on Friday.

The alliance, however, said it would not create hurdles for the government of Imran Khan and would approach the courts for redressal of their complaints.

The decisions were announced by GDA chief Pir Pagara after its meeting which was summoned in Kingri House to review post-election scenario.

Briefing the media along with other GDA leaders, Pir Pagara said the nation was befooled in the name of fair and free elections, which were in fact badly rigged.

Expressing his surprise, he said though the real tussle was being witnessed in Punjab, the mandate of Sindh was stolen.

The party plans to hold protest on Friday

He added that rigging had been started way before the July 25 polls and a member of the PPP who was not expecting to win had managed to receive 80,000 votes and win.

“This is sheer rigging in which government functionaries played their part,” he said.

Terming the 2018 polls as the worst rigged elections in the history of the country, Pir Pagara said the pace of polling was slow in the interior of Sindh and despite their complaints nobody bothered to take its notice.

In reply to a question, he said they would not stop Imran Khan from forming the government.

“If Imran delivers according to the commitments he made, the problems will be solved.

“It will be interesting to see how he recovers the stolen money as most of it was flown out of the country by the bureaucracy.”

Speaking further, the chief of GDA said the number of corrupt bureaucrats was much higher than the number of corrupt politicians.

“Wives and children of the bureaucrats in most of the cases hold dual nationalities,” he maintained.

Mr Pagara added that his party members advised him to go for a protest strike but he was of the view that it was better to seek justice from the courts instead of going for a strike.

GDA secretary general Ayaz Latif Palijo said he was thankful to the people of Sindh for supporting his party and at the same time demanded fresh polls in the country.

In reply to a question, he said GDA candidates Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Pir Sadruddin Shah, Jalal Mehmood Shah, Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi and Ghaus Ali Shah were made to lose under a conspiracy.

He further alleged that his polling agents were not provided Form 45.

Mr Palijo said the people will stage protest rallies in every district of the province on Friday.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2018