KARACHI, Aug 16: Pakistan People’s Party Sindh Council has called for a day of protest on Monday (Aug 21) against the Election Commission’s alleged failure to check pre-election rigging and preparation of “doctored” electoral list by the ruling coalition partners.

This was announced by the provincial president of the party, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, in a news conference after the Sindh Council meeting at the People’s Secretariat on Wednesday.

Protest demonstrations would be held on Monday at all district headquarters of the province and PPP would invite all component parties of ARD and MMA to participate in the protest.

The meeting took notice of the mode and raison d’etre of preparing a new electoral list, instead of upgrading the list that was used in 2002 elections, and alleged that ruling coalition members were preparing the list of their own choice, omitting the names of those who were not perceived to be their pockets of supporters.

Participants claimed that Election Commission staff was allegedly not visiting all the residents and getting the eligible voters registered. In fact, they alleged that coalition partners had made the election commission staff and those involved in registering the voters, their hostage and were asking them to sign on the dotted lines.

They alleged that the concerned staff was being forced to report to the unit in charge of one of the coalition partners where allegedly the “doctored” electoral lists were being prepared to deprive millions of voters of Sindh of their basic right of franchise.

The meeting was of the view that in the past also the ruling coalition had indulged in such a practice and despite opposition’s numerous complaints, the Election Commission had taken no measures to check such corrupt and anti-democratic practices besides stuffing of the ballot boxes.

The Sindh Council, which was presided over by Syed Qaim Ali Shah, took strong exception to the alleged irregularities in the new voters' lists and house counting in all 24 districts of the province and pledged not to tolerate the manipulation and wrongdoings in the new electoral lists.

Mr Shah alleged that the ruling coalition had targeted the stronghold of PPP in the voters' lists which were being prepared at the Union Council level at behest of ruling coalition parties and the voters and supporters of PPP were being not allowed to enroll themselves.

He said that despite repeated complaints by PPP, the provincial Election Commission had not taken any pragmatic step in the matter. He demanded of the Chief Election Commissioner to take notice of the complaints and order for update of 2002 voters' lists.