ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Opposition leaders have criticized what they call flawed, mismanaged and rigged local body polls and said that it has brightened the chances of forging a grand opposition alliance to launch a country-wide movement against the government.

Talking to Dawn by telephone, Secretary-General Alliance for Restoration of Democracy Zafar Iqbal Jhagra said the alliance meeting on August 29 would deliberate the post-election scenario. It would also discuss progress in talks with other opposition parties, including the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, on forging a grand opposition alliance.

He said the elections were marred by ‘pre-poll rigging in which national exchequer was misused to lure the voters and state machinery to get results in the favour of ruling parties’.

Mr Jhagra said the ‘powerlessness of the Election Commission was exposed in the polls as it failed to entertain complaints against ruling parties’ manipulations but hastened to take action where the opposition parties or their candidates were involved’.

Commenting on the conduct of the polls, President MMA Qazi Hussain Ahmed said it had been decided to convene a national conference on September 18 in which intellectuals would draw up a national charter whereby ‘Gen Musharraf and armed forces will be requested to shun meddling in political affairs in the best interest of armed forces and the nation’.

He said as long as General Musharraf was clinging to power with active support of the army, the institution of armed forces and the constitutional institutions would continue being devastated and people losing confidence in the election process, which was evident from lowest ever turnout in the national history in the recent polls.