KARACHI, Aug 28: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leaders have said that the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has exposed the hollowness of the government claims of free, fair and transparent election and has also stressed that holding election in a transparent manner in presence of the incumbent government is not possible.

MMA MNAs Mohammad Hussain Mehanti, Abdul Sattar Afghani and Laeeq Ahmad, in a joint statement on Sunday, also expressed surprise over the chief election commissioner’s claim of over 50 per cent turnout in the LB polls in the first and second phases, and reiterated the opposition stand that it was not more than 20 per cent in any of the two phases.

They observed that the rulers were trying hard to make people believe that the EC’s claim was correct despite the evidences that voters had not been allowed to cast their votes on both days due to the strong arm tactics resorted to by the coalition.

The legislators said that under a conspiracy, ulema and leaders of religious parties had been prevented from taking part in the LB election process and at certain places, results had been withheld. This, they added, was ample proof of manipulation, rigging and violation of code of conduct on the part of the rulers.

However, they vowed, the MMA would resist every effort aimed at harming the democratic system and would mobilize masses against all sorts of fascism in order to ensure restoration of a just and democratic culture.