KARACHI, Aug 24: The Pakistan People's Party has resolved to institute criminal cases against all those guilty of committing massive rigging, electoral malpractice, harassing of voters, physically obstructing and detaining polling agents and political workers of the ARD candidate in the recent by-election of NA 229.

The decision was taken at PPP coordination committee meeting, held at Bilawal House on Tuesday. The meeting, chaired by Syed Qaim Ali Shah, was attended by Nisar Khuhro, Aftab Shaban Mirani, Prof N.D. Khan and Taj Haider. Dr Mahesh Malani, ARD candidate in by-election of NA-229 also attended the meeting on special invitation.

The PPP leaders supported Dr Mahesh Malani for bravely facing the full force of the establishment and exposing the alleged fraud that the military dictatorship was continuing in the name of democracy.

The coordination committee was of the view that the prime minister was being imposed on the country and his supporters stood exposed as "cheaters and worst criminals". The leaders said that establishment had become weaker as it lost its credibility during the by-election.

"Democracy becomes a farce unless the sanctity of the ballot is preserved," the committee members said adding that this sanctity can only be preserved if the violators are prosecuted and made to pay for their crimes under the law.

The PPP leaders pointed out that the record number of 153,000 votes for the candidate of establishment in a backward desert constituency showed the alleged rigging.

They said that 90 per cent turnout in remote areas where hardly any voter was seen as compared to the 40 per cent turnout in Mithi where every polling station had large queues of voters was enough to bring out the scale of rigging committed by the establishment. "There are a number of evidences and thousands of eyewitness to prove the criminal acts," they added.