ISLAMABAD, July 14: The People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) has alleged that huge funds have been released to the Attock district government for the election campaign of Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz.
Briefing the media persons after a meeting of the PPP Punjab Executive Council here on Wednesday, the party's provincial information secretary, Naveed Chaudhry, accused the federal government of giving Rs20.5 million each to 24 union councils falling in the jurisdiction of NA-59 Attock-III constituency from where Mr Aziz was contesting the by-polls.
Flanked by PPP general secretary Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, former MPA Malik Hakmin Khan and ARD candidate Dr Sikandar Hayat, the information secretary feared that the funds released in the name of development would be spent on the election campaign of Mr Aziz.
He said despite the clear orders of the Election Commission that no government resources should be used in the by-election, the green-number-plate vehicles, district Nazim's office and telephones were being used for the campaign of Mr Aziz. "Is this not rigging?" he questioned.
Similarly, he said, the people of Fatehjang had been asked to vote for Shaukat Aziz if they wanted to get their House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC) loans written off.
Mr Chaudhry asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to take notice of the situation. He said the ARD would formally launch its campaign in the constituency on Thursday when Raja Pervaiz Ashraf would open an election office in Hassanabdal.
He said Mr Ashraf had been made a coordinator for the PPP in the election while Malik Hakmin had been appointed chief coordinator of the ARD. Mr Chaudhry said it had been decided that all the PPP MNAs and MPAs from the Punjab would take part in the election campaign and would be present in Attock to expose the government's plans.
In this connection, he said, all respective chapters of the party would hold meetings on July 19. He demanded that a team of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) be appointed to monitor the by-polls.
He also demanded that the polling staff should be posted on the election day in consultation with the opposition parties. The PPP information secretary termed transfers and postings of teachers and other staff of the district administration a part of the rigging plan.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said all the SHOs of the police stations of Attock had been changed on July 12. He alleged that the government was appointing those people on election duty who could become instrumental in the government's scheme of rigging.