KARACHI, Aug 18: The Al-Khadim group, contesting the local bodies’ polls and backed by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, on Thursday alleged that the Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) had paid no heed towards repeated complaints of abduction of their candidates, polling agents, workers, attacks on election camps, snatching of ballot papers, bogus voting and occupation of polling stations by armed activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Addressing a press conference at the JUP office, Maulana Qazi Ahmed Noorani, Muhammad Hashim Siddiqui, Ubaidullah Qadri and other leaders demanded that the Aug 18 local bodies’ polls in Karachi be declared null and void due to “unprecedented rigging and bogus voting” by the MQM.

They demanded that fresh elections be held amid tight security and armed forces be deployed inside polling stations, as the MQM terrorists, changing its previous strategy, had this time occupied polling stations and broke all records of rigging.

They said Muttahida’s activists uprooted election camps of Al-Khadim group’s candidates for nazim in many UCs and abducted several of its workers.

The MQM activists entered all polling stations in UC 1 Malir Town while the naib nazim candidate of UC 3 Malir Town, Nishat Rasool, was threatened and polling stations were occupied.

Ballot papers were snatched at gunpoint at the Al-Habib polling station at UC-2 Orangi Town and bogus votes were cast, they alleged.

Reports of bogus voting, attacks on polling agents were also received from UC-1 in North Nazimanad, UC 1 in Malir, UCs 4, 7 and 13 in New Karachi, UC 3 and 8 in Saddar, UC 6 in SITE Town, UC 11 in Orangi, UC 4 in North Karachi, UC 1 in North Nazimabad, UC 12 in Landhi Town, and UC 1 in Lyari, they added.

“Armed men of the Awami National Party entered UC 9 in Site Town in the presence of Rangers and police and beat the presiding officer,” JUP leaders charged, demanding re-election in the whole of Karachi.—PPI