HYDERABAD: Leaders of Grand Democratic Alliance have demanded re-election and called upon Election Commission of Pakistan head, chief justice of Pakistan and chief of army staff to tender resignation for having failed to ensure transparency in the conduct of election.

They said at rallies and demonstrations staged by activists of the component parties of GDA in several Sindh towns on Friday that their votes had been stolen through “rigged and managed elections”.

In Hyderabad, activists of GDA and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) gathered outside local press club after Friday prayers and held a joint demonstration which was led by GDA leader Naheed Khan, MMA’s Hafiz Tahir Majeed and JUI-F leader Maulana Taj Mohammad Nahiyoon.

Naheed Khan said that ECP, CJP and COAS had promised the nation that they would ensure free, fair and transparent election but they failed, hence they must step down.

She said that her polling agents were not allowed to sit in polling stations and when she complained about it to army soldiers and policemen they stood “deaf and dumb”.

She said that if thumb impressions were examined, hundreds of votes would prove to be bogus. Hyderabad police played a partial role in favour of PPP candidates, which was really shameful.

She said that she made several complaints to SSP Adeel Chandio but in vain while SHOs and policemen kept appeasing petty thugs and feudal lords in villages and harassing GDA voters.

MMA leaders said that except for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) all political and religious parties had rejected the sham election.

GDA secretary general Ayaz Latif Palijo demanded ECP immediately announce re-election in Sindh. People had rejected election result as their votes had been stolen, he said. He wondered how the party which complained that it could not launch its election campaign adequately had mopped up majority seats while the GDA candidates who had exhausted themselves in campaigns remained unsuccessful.

SUKKUR: Activists of GDA and MMA took out separate rallies in protest against rigging in election.

The MMA leaders complained that the presiding officers did not give Form 45 to their polling agents and deliberately delayed announcement of result to make their favourite candidates successful.

In Jacobabad, MMA took out a rally which terminated in a sit-in outside the press club. MMA leaders Dr A.G. Ansari and others said that rigging had been committed under a conspiracy to let candidates of one party win election.

In Sukkur, GDA took out a rally from Tikundi Bagh which terminated in a sit-in outside the press club. Local leaders of GDA and other parties alleged that PPP candidates were allowed to rig election in Sindh.

In Rohri, GDA workers took out a rally which covered eight kilometres on foot to reach Sukkur in protest against alleged rigging in election.

Losing GDA candidates for PS-23 Mohammad Ali Shaikh, Shafqat Shah (PS-24) and Mohammad Bachal Mahar demanded re-election.

They alleged that the government officials had played a partisan role in rigging election. GDA’s polling agents were not given Form 45 and they were forcibly pushed out of polling stations, they said.

They demanded ECP hold free, fair and transparent re-election in all constituencies of Sukkur.

MIRPURKHAS: Activists of GDA’s component parties held a demonstration on Mirpurkhas-Hyderabad road outside local press club and demanded re-election.

The protesters’ leaders condemned ECP for “technical rigging” in election process and alleged that several polling stations were changed overnight and copies of Form 45 were not given to polling agents.

They demanded re-election in the country under a new ECP.

In Jhuddo town, GDA activists took out a rally and condemned “engineered” election result.

MITHI: A large number of workers of GDA and PTI held a demonstration in protest against alleged rigging and manipulation of votes in election.

The protesters’ leaders said that polling process was rigged to give sham mandate to Asif Ali Zardari and his “corrupt cronies”.

UMERKOT: Activists of GDA took out rallies in Umerkot and Samaro in protest against rigging in election.

The protestors led by losing candidate for PS-51 Faqir Jadam Mangrio and others demanded re-election and said that some persons were nabbed with ballot papers but they were released without pressing charges against them.

They said the PPP victory by a large margin had been engineered by some hidden hands.

They demanded re-election in the province and said their polling agents were ousted from polling stations without forms 45 and 46. PPP had spent Rs80 billion on rigging to ensure ‘historic’ victory, they said.

They called for registering cases against all DROs, ROs and AROs in Sindh and claimed that secretary of ECP had played into the hands of PPP leadership.

NAWABSHAH: Losing GDA candidates and their supporters held a demonstration outside local press club in protest against rigging.

The protesters said that polling agents were expelled at the time of counting of votes and added that if their reservations were not redressed, they would call a shutter-down strike.

SHIKARPUR: Workers of MMA and GDA took out rallies separately against rigging in election. The protesters’ leaders accused ECP of failure in holding election in a free, fair and transparent manner.

KHAIRPUR: Activists of GDA took out a rally in protest against rigging in election, demanding immediate re-election.

NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: Activ­ists of GDA held a demonstration in Moro and warned that they would not accept election result till their reservations were redressed. The protesters said that election was rigged to ensure win of ‘favourites’.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2018