SUKKUR, July 26: The People’s Party Parliamentarians has urged the Election Commission to take notice of Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s campaign for the local body election and arrests and harassment of candidates.

Speaking at a joint press conference at the press club here on Tuesday, party MNA Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah and Islamuddin Shaikh demanded that the Election Commission should take action against the chief minister.

They alleged that the chief minister was using the state machinery in the polls campaign and fake cases were being registered against PPP-backed Awam Dost Panel candidates.

They maintained that despite vindictive actions of the chief minister and federal and provincial ministers, the PPP would not boycott the polls.

The PPP leaders alleged that a list of ADP candidates had been prepared to arrest them and police had been ordered to prepare cases against them.

They claimed that despite being in power, the government party would not win a single seat if the election was held in a fair and transparent manner.

They said the central leadership of the party had allowed ADP candidates to make seat adjustment with any party. They said besides the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, negotiations were being held with other candidates in Sukkur.

The PPP leaders feared that even after the election, the government could arrest successful ADP candidates.

They demanded that President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz should take notice of highhandedness against candidates of the ADP and take action against the Sindh chief minister for what they called his unlawful activities.

They alleged that the chief minister had summoned two candidates for seats of nazim, Allah Warrayo Buriro and Mohammad Ali Buriro, who were brothers, and forced them not to contest the election. They said the candidates’ another brother, who was a secretary in the Sindh Assembly, was also being threatened.

The leaders said if the political victimization of candidates continued, the matter would be taken up in the National Assembly and senate and a protest movement would be launched against the government.