PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, claimed on Sunday that the Election Commission of Pakistan had failed to conduct free, fair and impartial elections, and asked the chief election commissioner and his team to admit failure and resign.

The demand was made in a joint meeting of the party’s provincial cabinet, district and divisional office-bearers, party ticket-holders and former and newly-elected MNAs and MPAs in Peshawar.

The party also decided to take stern disciplinary action against all those found guilty of working against the party ticket-holders in different constituencies in the province.

On this occasion, the candidates shared information about the alleged rigging in their respective constituencies and rejected the election results. The provincial and divisional level office-bearers also talked about the party policy regarding the prevailing political situation.

Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included party’s provincial president Mohammad Humayun Khan, provincial general secretary Faisal Karim Kundi, provincial vice-president Syed Ayub Shah, Azam Afridi, information secretary Gohar Khan Inqilabi, labour leader Zulqarnain Shah and Akhunzada Chattan.

Following instructions of party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari the participants were asked to register their written complaints in case they had faced any hurdles from the party people during election campaign in respective constituencies.

On this occasion, a two-member committee comprising Senator Bahramand Tangi and Faisal Karim Kundi was formed which would collect the written complaints, probe into the matter and then submit a comprehensive report to the top leadership for disciplinary action.

It was stated that those office-bearers who violated the discipline in elections would be replaced on the recommendations of the two-member body and further action regarding their membership would be taken by the party chairman.

Through a resolution, the meeting condemned what it called the growing trend of horse-trading in the centre and Punjab province and appreciated the party’s top leadership for opting to remain in opposition in the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly.

The participants also offered fateha for the candidates and other political workers who lost their lives during the election campaign in different provinces and also condemned the acts of terrorism.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2018