MUZAFFARABAD, July 17: The AJK chapter of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) has convened a conference of political parties on Thursday to discuss “usurpation of the right of Kashmiris to elect their representatives on their free will” and to work out a strategy to launch a joint struggle against it.

An MMA spokesman told Dawn here on Monday that they had invited all the parties directly or indirectly affected by the rigging “masterminded by the federal and provincial governments and their controlled institutions”, particularly in the Kashmiri refugees’ constituencies.

“The federal government has always used 12 seats of Kashmiri refugees for forming a government of their choice in the AJK. This time, rigging crossed all limits and the conference will discuss this undemocratic attitude of the government and find a way to get rid of it for good,” said MMA spokesman Raeesuddin Khawaja.

When contacted, Jammu Kashmir Peoples Muslim League (JKPML) convenor Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry said he had accepted the invitation because he agreed on the agenda of the conference.

“We will attend it to decide a future course of action in consultation with other affected parties,” he said, adding that the federal government had committed pre-poll rigging by giving indication that it favoured the Muslim Conference in the future AJK set up.

“Rigging in the Kashmiri refugees’ constituencies in Pakistan was naked whereas in AJK it was selective and organised,” he remarked.

When asked to comment on a reported statement of senior MC leader Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan that President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and others had supported the MC for its pro-accession to Pakistan ideology, Mr Chaudhry said Sardar Qayyum Khan was not only making vain attempts to justify manipulation of election results but also hurting Gen Musharraf’s position.

“Gen Musharraf talks of self-governance in both parts of Kashmir. He should look into the AJK elections which have failed to provide people a fair chance to form a government of their choice,” he said, adding that he had held a meeting of JKPML ticket holders at the weekend during which a five-member committee comprising Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, Chaudhry Mohammad Rashid, Sardar Amjad Yousaf, Major (rtd) Abdul Hafeez Chaudhry and Sardar Abid Hussain had been constituted to collect details of rigging.

“We also took some other decisions but now we are looking forward towards the conference,” he said.

The conference, he said, would take decisions on taking oath of the office by the elected MLAs of opposition parties and launching of an agitation movement.

“But let me tell you one thing; these elections have dealt a blow to Kashmir issue by providing an opportunity to the enemy to raise fingers at us,” he said.

Mr Chaudhry alleged that nearly 200 workers of his party had been taken into custody by the Punjab administration in Shakargarh on Monday during re-polling in refugees’ constituency LA-33 Jammu.

Polling in the constituency was cancelled by the returning officer on the complaints of rigging allegedly sponsored by some Punjab government functionaries.

When contacted, PPAJK president Sahibzada Ishaq Zaffar said they were yet to take a decision on their participation in the MMA sponsored conference.

However, the MMA spokesman said the PPAJK leaders had assured the MMA chief Sardar Ejaz Afzal that they would attend the conference.

PPAJK has also been accusing Gen Musharraf of taking sides with the MC and manipulating the elections.