ISLAMABAD, Aug 24: Leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) have alleged that the government was using all its machinery and resources for the success of its candidates in the second phase of local bodies election.

Speaking at a joint press conference here on Wednesday, JI Secretary-General Syed Munawwar Hassan, MNA Hanif Abbasi, MNA Mian Muhammad Aslam and other leaders said the Election Commission (EC) had instructed all the presiding officers not to stamp the ballot-papers with their signatures in case the candidates of ruling party seemed to be defeated. “It is done just to change the results, if the victory of the opponent candidate is expected.”

Mr Hassan said Information Minister Sheikh Rashid had already congratulated his candidates of securing 30 seats in Rawalpindi which he said was the biggest example of pre-poll rigging.

In Karachi, he said the results of more than 40 union councils (UCs) were changed in which JI candidates had got victory. “In UC-4, North Nazimabad, a candidate was declared unsuccessful after victory though he had a lead of 2000 votes.

He said leaders of ARD and MMA would meet after the election in order to discuss the future agenda and expose the hypocratic policy of the government.

Mr Abbasi said people were being threatened of crisis on election day so as to keep them inside homes. He alleged that candidates of ruling party were distributing free mobile phones to get votes.

Mian Aslam said the late announcement of results by EC was the clear-cut evidence of rigging. “We declare the whole elections as void,” he added.