KARACHI, Aug 30: The chief of the Sindh National Front (SNF), Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, on Tuesday sent an open letter to Chief Election Commissioner regarding rigging and malpractice in the local government elections 2005.

In the letter, he charged that even though had never before in the infamous history of rigging there been greater and more defiant rigging than in the recently concluded local government election, the election commission “continues to see no evil and hear no evil”.

He said that in Union Council Bahman, Taluka Ratodero, district Larkana, when votes were counted upon the closure of polls, Syed Qutub Zia Shah was declared the winning nazim by a margin of 102 votes.

He alleged that “the next morning, however, after a meeting between PPP MPA Ayaz Soomro and Returning Officer Mushtaq Leghari, it was declared that Syed Qutub Zia’s opponent had won by five votes”.

Syed Qutub filed an application against his rejection, even though recount was justifiable since the winning margin was just five votes, he said.

Regarding Union Council Chato Mangi, Taluka Ratodero, district Larkana, Mr Bhutto claimed that after the polls were closed and votes counted, SHO Madeji and a party of law enforcers arrived at the polling station.

“They manhandled the polling agent, Faqir Qurban Mangi, candidate for nazim, threw him out and blatantly tampered the ballot papers to ensure victory for the opposing candidate.”

A complaint was made to the returning officer, who advised the complainants to remain silent, Mr Bhutto claimed.

Mr Bhutto said these were just a few of the countless similar incidents that had taken place throughout the country.

“Thirty people have died and more than 500 have been injured,” he said.

The administration has been misused and huge amount of public funds squandered, he alleged, adding that “the whole world has seen this but you say all has gone well.” —PPI