LAHORE, Aug 8: The all-party conference being held in Islamabad on Thursday is an attempt to bring all democratic forces on a single platform and thwart the government’s plans to rig the local elections, ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said on Monday.

He told Dawn that the government was determined to sweep the local elections, no matter what foul methods it had to use for the purpose.

The opposition parties, he said, were monitoring the situation and would discuss on Aug 11 what steps they should take to force the rulers not to resort to corrupt practices.

Some five dozen political parties, lawyers organizations and other bodies have been invited to the APC being held a week before the first phase of the local elections.

All major parties have put up their candidates in the partyless elections, for which the campaign is going on these days. Various parties have set up their platforms from which their candidates would contest the polls.

Mr Fahim alleged that the government was using the police, the ministers and other state machinery to get all ruling party candidates elected. Officials whose relatives were contesting the elections were being pressured to ask the latter to withdraw. Those who failed to persuade their relatives to quit the electoral process faced dismissal, he added.

Mr Fahim said legislators were being forced to change their loyalties.

He said the APC participants would review the situation and decide their future course of action.

Asked if the opposition would discuss the possibility of launching agitation after the local elections, the ARD chief said: “We want to counter rigging plans in cooperation with all democratic forces. For the time being, we’ll focus on this subject.”

The ARD chairman alleged that all democratic forces were being pushed to the wall which was not a good sign.

About the ARD meeting being held a day before the APC, Mr Fahim said the participants would discuss the way the government planned to win the local elections at all costs.

Replying to a question, he said the opposition candidates would return in large numbers if the elections were free and fair.