LAHORE, July 26: An emergency meeting of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy is expected to be held on Sunday to discuss the alleged corrupt practices being used by the government to win local elections at all costs.

ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim phoned PML-N chief Raja Zafarulah Haq on Tuesday and held consultations on the subject. A final date will be set after contacts with other components of the alliance.

Mr Fahim alleged that the chief ministers and the police were pressuring opposition candidates to withdraw from the contest.

He said the elections could not be expected to be free and fair and the opposition alliance would work out its strategy to thwart the government’s plans.

In case the government did not stop the alleged corrupt practices, the opposition could think of boycotting these polls, the ARD chief said.

However, he said, boycott was only one of the options the opposition could exercise. Otherwise, he said, all parties in the ARD were determined not to leave the field open to the ruling party.

Raja Zafarul Haq alleged that the government was violating the rules of the game by ordering transfers of officials despite a ban imposed by the Chief Election Commissioner.

He said development funds were also being provided for various constituencies to get desired results.

The PML-N leader said it was regrettable that the CEC was not taking notice of these violations.

He said the local elections were being held on a non-party basis, but the ruling party was holding meetings to select candidates. This, he said, amounted to ridiculing the system.

Official sources said on Tuesday that anybody could take up the matter of violation of the election rules with the election commission.

The sources pointed out that under a provision of Article 152 of the Local Government Ordinance a person shall qualify to be elected or to hold an elective office or membership of a local government if he: (a) has not used directly or indirectly, for his election the platform, flag, symbol, affiliation and financial or material resources or support of a political, religious, ethnic or sectarian party, formation, or organization”.

The sources said if any political party or organization raised the matter with the CEC, the latter would look into the complaint. On the other hand, Punjab PML Secretary-General Chaudhry Zaheeruddin denied that the government was ordering postings and transfers of officials or using development funds in various constituencies.

He said some officials proceeded on training courses in the light of decisions taken well before the decision on elections. The government appointed their replacements to continue the official business, and thus should not be taken as a posting/transfer linked to the electoral process, he argued.

Zaheeruddin said funds of the district governments were not being used in any constituency as they had already been frozen.

Some projects, he said, were being completed by the federal or provincial governments with their own funds, a step which could not be taken as a violation of the election laws.