LAHORE, Jan 7: The PPP central executive, which met here on Monday, said the Jan 8 elections had been delayed to benefit the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and the burning of commission’s record was just a ploy to postpone the polls.

Chaired by provincial chief Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the CE said holding of polls on the new date was also not certain because “incidents of sectarian killings may be organised” to delay them further.

Qureshi feared some more “high profile killings”, if the need be, would be carried out. “If the elections were again postponed or rigged, there results would not be good for the country.”

According to him, it was the PML-Q that requested postponement of polls whereas the PPP demanded them on time in spite of losing its party head. “If it thinks that people will forget the sacrifice of the PPP leader in a month’s time, the PML-Q is mistaken. People will not forget the tragedy by the time of next elections,” he insisted.

Qureshi said the murder of Benazir Bhutto was a target killing and part of a conspiracy that would be “exposed at all costs”.

He said the PPP would cooperate with all those investigation agencies trying to find out the real culprits behind the murder. The party wanted to get an FIR registered after the UN probe. Police should have contacted the heirs of Benazir — her husband, son and daughters — before the registration of the case.

About investigators from the Scotland Yard, he said they should probe as to why the route of the BB’s caravan was suddenly changed by the police after she left Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi.

He said if certain criminal elements were involved in riots, why the government and its agencies did not interfere. The PPP condemned the incidents of violence on the day one, and it condemned it even today. He said the leadership had appealed to its workers to remain patient even on the day Ms Bhutto was slain.

Taking about the PML-Q, he said it was virtually running the government in Punjab and influencing the elections. The former Punjab chief minister had chaired a meeting of district nazims on Sunday at his residence. “One must ask under which capacity he did so?”

He said the votes of government servants were being forcibly secured and money being distributed among the voters in the name of the self-employment scheme. Money orders and post-dated cheques were being dispatched with the signatures of Pervaiz Elahi. “This is pre-poll rigging,” he said.

When asked why the PPP did not approach the Election Commission, he wondered to which EC should the party approach for redressal. “To a commission that has consistently failed to assert its independence?” he asked.

He, however, said a PPP delegation would meet the Punjab Election Commissioner with the proofs of pre-poll rigging.

According to him, cases on trumpeted-up charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act were being registered against party workers. This, according to him, was being done to keep party activists away from polling stations on the polling day.

He was critical of Pervaiz Elahi for “issuing shameful statements” and pitching the Punjabis against their Sindhi brethren. He accused him of sowing seeds of hatred among federating units by provoking Sindhis and Punjabis through the anti-federation campaign in media.

The PPP, he said, was committed to politics of federation, and would continue bringing all units closer to each other rather than ripping them apart.

He demanded release of detained lawyers — Aitzaz Ahsan, Munir A Malik, Ali Ahmad Kurd and Justice Tariq Mahmood (retired)— and deposed chief justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

He held former rulers responsible for the flour crisis. “Despite a bumper crop of 23.5 million tons of wheat, an artificial crisis was created first by allowing 1.3 million tons of export and later by smuggling the commodity to Afghanistan.

“After doing all this, the government is now importing wheat at Rs1,200 per 40kg.”

Qureshi said the government was not taking action against the hoarders and smugglers. He also castigated the government for the electricity crisis.