KARACHI, Aug 1: The Pakistan People’s Party has warned the election commission of the consequences of debarring the mainstream political parties, including the PPP, from participation in the October elections as this would render the whole exercise of going to the polls meaningless.

Syed Qaim Ali Shah, a central leader of PPP and former Sindh chief minister, speaking at a press conference at his residence on Thursday said if major parties were ousted from the polls, the election would turn into nominations and such a selection would not produce a sustained democracy or bring about political, economic or any stability in the country.

“It would further deepen the on-going crisis,” he added.

He said after the announcement of the election date, the entire civilian administration is supposed to be under the control of the election commission and the status quo ought to be maintained as laid down in the 1973 Constitution, yet in Sindh the cabinet was expanded by inducting members of king’s party, formed in the form of an alliance, transfers and postings continue unabated contrary to the directives of the election commission which amounts to pre-poll rigging.

Referring to setting up of a political cell in the governor’s house Mr Shah said he had been in politics since the days of Ayub Khan and had seen Yahya, Zia-ul-Haque regimes but never heard of setting up political cells in the governor’s house where high officials and ministers of and on meet and schemed how to block PPP entry into assemblies and the parliament and get the political orphans inducted in the legislatures.

He said except a few favourite parties, almost all political parties, including Alliance for Restoration of Democracy and Muttahida Majlise Amal, had been demanding setting up a caretaker government and constitution of an independent and autonomous election commission to hold free, fair and transparent elections.

Besides, according to the Supreme Court’s decision given in the Junejo case in 1988, existence of a prime minister in the government is a must as it is the prime minister who could advice the election commission for conducting elections in the country, he said.

He termed the Political Parties Order-2002 uncalled for as almost all political parties were bound to follow their party constitution and hold intra-party elections accordingly. However, the political parties had carried out the exercise only to follow the rules of the game. “If any member did not like to file nomination papers against the party chairperson or other office-bearers, one could not force them to do.

Qaim Ali Shah expressed concern over the way new ministers had been behaving and threatening political parties, Nazims and officials who did not yield to their wishes.

He said the steps being taken by the government to get the desired results from the October elections was an enough indication that the government wanted to bring favourites from the backdoor.

He said the proposed constitutional package was only meant to perpetuate one man’s rule in the country.