ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: The People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) has opposed the election of naib nazims through show of hands and termed it part of government’s plan to rig the local government polls. Talking to reporters at the launching of a report titled “Another worst stain on the face of democracy”, prepared by the local body election monitoring cell of the party, PPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Senator Sardar Latif Khosa and MPA Farzana Raja said the recently-held local government polls seemed to be a rehearsal for the forthcoming general elections.

They said the party did not raise the issue of rigging in the third phase of the local government elections due to the October 8 earthquake.

They said the PPP had prepared a comprehensive monitoring report on the rigging. They said despite the announcement that the LG polls would be held on non-party basis, the ruling party had nominated its candidates all over the country and harassed the opposition candidates.

The PPP leaders said every dictator used LG polls to prolong his rule. “The non-party general elections in 1985 caused an irreparable damage to the electoral process and promoted ‘Bradarism’ in the country.”

Senator Khosa called for appointment of a permanent chief election commissioner and said the hiring of an acting CEC was a violation of the Supreme Court decision. He said the Supreme Court had strongly deprecated the concept of acting appointments in 1996.

In reply to a question, Mr Fahim said the party had so far not made any decision regarding boycott of the election for naib nazims.

Meanwhile, the PPP report on the LG polls state: “There was a complete wedlock of convenience between the king’s party and the election managers who were from judiciary. It was a horrifying state of affairs how shamelessly the results were changed by the returning officers.

“If the country is heading for general elections on the same pattern then God bless Pakistan for democracy has virtually been murdered and buried under the debris resulting from the anti- people attitude and conduct of the rulers/usurpers of powers,” it says.