NAWABSHAH: The Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) Sindh president Syed Sadruddin Shah Rashidi has said that his party’s candidates and polling agents will try their level best to fail the technical rigging in connivance of officials.

Mr Rashidi, who is also chief coordinator of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), said at a public meeting in Sinjhoro town on Wednesday that poverty and lawlessness had increased over the last 15 years in Sindh.

People of Sindh had really been fed up with unabated corruption and plunder for the past 15 years, he added.

He said that the rulers intentionally pushed Sindh to destruction during floods of 2010, 2011 and 2020 where on the one hand thousands of people were made homeless while on the other they (rulers) cried for help, collected billions of rupees’ funds and goods and swallowed up everything.

He said that those riding a bicycle 15 years ago were driving a Land Cruiser now. Instead of encouraging people to have a better future and planning their prosperity, they were being taught to beg only, he said.

But now the people were awake and knew what was right and what was wrong for them, he said.

He warned the polling staff, including presiding officers and returning officers, to refrain from creating hurdles to voters.

Later talking to journalists at Rajar House in Sanghar, he said that he was satisfied with public response. The officers, including DCs, SPs, ASPs and others, who had worked with the previous rulers for last 15 years were now part of the election duties, he said.

Mr Rahsidi claimed he knew that those officers had established polling stations of anti-PPP parties in far-flung areas and also split votes to discourage the voters.

He alleged that some polling stations in anti-PPP strongholds were intentionally declared sensitive for the benefit of the PPP.

Rashidi said in answer to a question the election process was wrong as officials responsible for conducting the polls were a party.

He expressed the hope that the officers would act neutral for the sake of people, land and future of their own children.

He claimed that people of Sindh no more believed in the fake promises made by the former rulers and had rejected them.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2024

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