BAHAWALPUR, May 17: PPP Punjab President Qasim Zia and divisional coordinator Mumtaz Ahmad Matyana have criticized the government for causing defection in the two main opposition parties and rigging in the Karachi and Rahim Yar Khan bypoll.

Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, they said it was a shameful act for the ruling coalition that a number of casualties took place during bypoll in Karachi.

In Rahim Yar Khan, they said the ruling party openly rigged bypoll and misused the official machinery. They urged the chief election commissioner to take notice of the fact and order fresh polling at both places.

In their rejoinder to PPP deserter Tariq Cheema, whose brother Tahir Cheema was declared MNA in the Chishtian bypoll last month, Mr Zia and Mr Matyana said they accepted Cheema's challenge to contest on the Chishtian NA constituency. "Polling should be conducted on 30 stations where ARD candidate Laleka's votes were not allowed to be polled by the ruling party."

The PPP leaders, including CEC member Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf, told a questioner that the PPP and the ARD were preparing to field their candidates on three provincial assembly seats in Bahawalpur after these will fall vacant with the resignation of three MPAs Khalid Mahmood Warren, Shoaib Karim and Dr Muhammad Afzal.

They said the field would not be left vacant for the ruling coalition. Mr Zia said a mass contact campaign would begin in June when a number of party conventions at the district and tehsil levels would be organized in the Punjab.