KHAIRPUR, Sept 21: PPP Sindh president Syed Qaim Ali Shah and former district nazim Ms Nafisa Shah have said that administrative officers who have declined to be part of rigging plan in the third phase of local body elections have been relieved forcibly.

They said such examples had been witnessed in the districts of Khairpur, Larkana, Kashmore and Nawabshah.

Speaking at a gathering and ADP councillors meetings in different villages of taluka Sobhodero and Khairpur, they said that the Sindh chief minister was claiming majority and so were his coalition partners. If this was so, then why impartial officers like DPOs, DCOs and IPOs were being transferred and those ready to become collaborators in the rigging plan were being posted in their place, they queried.

Qaim Ali Shah said ADP candidates and party workers were being harassed. He expressed surprise that ADP candidate taluka Kotdiji, Munawar Hussain Wassan, was with returning officer for scrutiny of his nomination paper when a case was registered against him at police station Ranipur.

He alleged that a party worker, Umer Qureshi, was murdered on August 25 but no accused had so far been arrested. Police had raided the Otaq of Bhoro Babbar, a PPP worker, last night in taluka Kotdiji and tortured his guests and other relatives.

He said the second phase of election was characterized by highhandedness and torture of PPP workers when “massive rigging was committed”.

Even in these circumstances, he said, if fair elections were held, ADP candidates will win with majority as the PML and PML-F were afloat only because of administration’s support. They had no roots in the people.