HONG KONG, March 3: Fatima Bhutto, a niece of the late Benazir Bhutto, on Monday accused western media of irresponsibility in their reporting of Pakistan, saying they had disregarded ‘heavy’ rigging in last month’s polls, including by the Pakistan People’s Party.

Ms Fatima, herself a journalist, said she witnessed widespread rigging when she visited polling stations in Sindh.

“We turned on CNN and we turned on the BBC and we were told, Musharraf has lost, it’s a sign for democracy, he’s accepted defeat quite gracefully...You’ve had elections, good job, you’ve done wonderfully, because the president hasn’t won.

“But in Pakistan, the situation looked quite different,” said Ms Fatima in a speech at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club here.

“To say there was rigging in the February 18 elections is an understatement.... It wasn’t just rigging, it was quite open, unapologetic rigging. It was no longer under the table, it was very much on top.” —AFP