ISLAMABAD, Aug 10: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has finally decided that it will not boycott the forthcoming local government elections despite “massive rigging” by the ruling parties, as it does not want to leave the field open for the government, says ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim.

Briefing mediapersons after a meeting of the ARD component parties here on Wednesday, the ARD chairman said the option to boycott the local government polls had been closed and this issue would not be the part of the agenda of the all parties conference (APC), being convened by the ARD on Thursday.

Chairman of the Pakistan Muslim League-N Raja Zafarul Haq, PPP Sindh secretary-general Nafees Siddiqui, ARD coordinator Malik Hakmin Khan, PPP Punjab information secretary Naveed Chaudhry, ARD information secretary and PML-N senior vice- president Syed Zafar Ali Shah and PML-N information secretary Siddiqul Farooque were also present in the briefing.

Mr Fahim said the ARD had sent invitations to some 62 political parties and other organizations, including bar associations for participation in the APC and it had received a positive response from all of them. He said the APC was being convened on one-point agenda of “pre-poll rigging” in the LG polls.

The ARD chief alleged that unprecedented rigging and victimization of opposition candidates and their supporters was taking place. He said the state machinery was being used in the election campaign, but the chief election commissioner was taking no action. He said it seemed that the police was conducting the elections. He said those who had been elected unopposed should be thankful to the respective district police officers for their victory.

Mr Fahim evaded a question regarding the issue of launching of any anti-government movement by the ARD, saying at present the opposition parties were concentrating on the LG elections.

Replying to another question, PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq said the opposition leaders would meet the foreign election observers and apprised them about the government’s plan to rig the LG polls. He said the non-party based elections were being held in an effort to divide the whole nation.

Meanwhile, sources in the ARD told Dawn that it had been decided in the meeting that no controversial issue would be raised by any of the component parties of the alliance in the APC as they did not want to annoy any of the opposition parties, particularly the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA).

The sources said in the meeting, some leaders, particularly belonging to the PML-N, suggested that the ARD should announce launching of the anti-government movement instead of taking part in the LG elections. However, the issue of the possibility of the anti-regime public movement was not discussed in detail and it was decided that another meeting would be convened soon after the LG elections to make a decision on the issue.