LAHORE, Aug 20: The Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal says that all tactics are being used to make local bodies an electoral college for a president-in-uniform. The religious alliance warned of a protest drive after the polls and holding of a conference of national leaders in Islamabad on Sept 18 to bring all democratic forces on a single platform through a national charter.

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, MMA deputy secretary-general Liaqat Baloch said the rulers had planned to abolish federal parliamentary system and introduce restricted democracy with supremacy of the army.

For the purpose, he alleged, the polls were being heavily rigged through a team of experts, hoodwinking foreign observers as well as shattering the confidence of the masses on the democratic political process.

Central information secretary Pir Ijaz Hashmi, MNA Farid Piracha and Waqas Anjum Jafri were also present.

“A group of political opportunists has also become a tool in the hands of the rulers to implement the agenda,” Baloch said.

The MQM, Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Chaudhrys, the NWFP governor and federal interior minister Aftab Sher Pao had been given targets to achieve the results in Karachi, interior Sindh, Punjab and NWFP province, respectively, through the illegal use of state machinery, he added.

He alleged that the Election Commission had been practically proved as powerless and ineffective during the process because it did not take any action on thousands of complaints filed with it regarding the first phase of polls.

The commission did take action against the interference of MPs belonging to the opposition but the interruption by Gen Musharraf, prime minister Shaukat Aziz, federal ministers and treasury MPs was totally ignored, he complained. In around 100 union councils of Karachi, the MMA leader said, the MQM did not allow polling agents of any other party to enter polling stations as the Rangers and police played the role of silent spectators.

Validity of the results of such bogus elections could never be established, he said, adding that the religious alliance would publish a white paper before Aug 25 on the irregularities in the first phase of local polls.

The alliance would not boycott the second phase of elections on Aug 25 and would struggle to counter government’s alleged meddling and rigging plans, he said.

Warning the rulers of a forceful movement after the local polls, Baloch said the government itself had provided a strong base for it by rigging elections.

“Institution of a powerful and impartial Election Commission for general election and protection of the 1973 Constitution would be fundamental elements of the movement,” he added.

The MMA leader claimed that despite the rigging at least 270 nazims and naib nazims backed by the religious alliance had won in 17 districts of the Punjab on Aug 18. Reports received from 10 districts say that 1,300 supporters have also returned as winners as general, women, labourers/peasants and minority councillors.

He said MMA president Qazi Husain Ahmad would soon contact all leaders for the Sept 18 conference in Islamabad to frame a national charter in the current situation and prepare the nation for a future strategy.

He said for protection of religious seminaries two conferences of scholars would be held — one in Karachi on Aug 28 and the other in Islamabad on Sept 4.

Answering a question, he said the anti-government candidates who had won in over 100 UCs in the NWFP were being threatened to change loyalties and their houses were also being encircled.

Besides interference by the governor and the federal interior minister, the chief secretary and the inspector general of police had also been bullied to misuse the administration in the NWFP, Baloch alleged.

In Gujrat (Punjab), he said polling in 16 UCs was postponed when the government failed to pressurize it rival contestants there.